The Sword Through the Cherry Blossoms
by dulceata
Summary: A tale of battles, of honor and of love, but ultimately, a tale of betrayal. A rendition of the tale of Yoshitsune. -2010 NaNoWriMo
1. Chapter 1

The dewdrop falls, slowly as the wind creases thorugh the boughs of the branches. We are far up now, and the slope of the mountain is beneath us. High in the sky on a slight outthrust of rock, we breathe. In and out as we feel our core. It is now. Life has passed and now the time of our death has arrived. This is our karma. We look to the south, our soul lies to the south beneath the cherry blossoms that are just now beginning to fall as winter approaches. As they fall here. Swirling on each gust of wind. They appear almost to float upwards, but ultimately they will fall, as is life.

A silent man kneeled in the snow on the precipice. He held two swords, one long and one short. They were placed in front of him, as if in a place of honor. The dewdrop fell and landed on the hilt.

Past the silent figure the mountains seemed to grow upon the horizon. Cold and deadly, but reaching and yearning upwards towards the full moon. It was a quiet scene, that bare mountain top. No sound was heard beyond the wind through the branches, and the soft sounds of the man's breath.

"So you have come" the man stated without opening his eyes. "My death has witness." It was as if he spoke to the air, none were present. But another male stepped out of the shadows.

"I have come" he answered in a strong voice, as if he was daring the kneeling figure to dispute his words.

The kneeling man did not answer. Then he spoke, but not to the newcomer, rather as if to himself.

"Someone once told me of a wish. It was a death wish, but not yet this person's time. A kind of foreseeing. This person told me of a wish to die beneath the cherry blossoms under a full moon." He paused for a moment and seemed to smile. "It is a good wish."

The other man did not answer, appearing to wait for the kneeling one to continue.

The wind whistled through the blossoms of the trees, sighing forlonrnly.

"Do it" he said.

A sudden glimpse of silver, a blurring downwards movement, the falling blossoms disturbed in their descent. And then, silence. A new soul will make the journey to the mountains. The mist is dense.

_ I woke slowly, remembering the dream of last night. It had been a long time since I dreamed of such things. A long time since I dreamed of him and my years as a soldier for the Minamoto. Why had I forgotten him, that strange man in the mountain. Although, not really that strange since his name was known throughout Japan. Perhaps it meant something, perhaps his journey had come to an end, and he had reached the sky he sought. _

_ But I cannot dwell on such things. The animals must be fed and my grandchildren awakened. I am old now, and it has been many years since I first met that man. Many years and many sorrows._

"Grandpapa, grandpapa! Wake up!" a young voice calls. The old man at the window starts up as if he had been dreaming. A young girl is at his knees, pulling at his pantlegs. She is small, with cheeks still chubby with baby fat and hair just long enough for a perky pony tail. The small figure in the orange dress looks up at the old man demandingly.

"You told Sora-kun that you would tell her a story if she got up really early. You told Sora-kun." The old man smiled down at her.

"That I did Sora, but wouldn't you rather wait until all your siblings are up and have finished their chores, so you won't have to worry about them?" She pouted. It was a leading question and she knew it.

She scampered away to awaken her brothers, most lilely in a disturbingly abrupt way that she would pay for later. Shouts could be heard from the other room, and the old man sighed. She had jumped on them in her hurry.

She rushed back in with two boys following her at a slower pace while rubbing their eyes and protesting her energy.

The chores were done at a record speed, but he had them go back over them to ensure they were done well. All were eager for his stories, even some of the older children crowded into his tiny hut as he arranged himself on the tatami mats.

"Well you all seem to have been good children today. Such a rare treat" he paused at their sudden protests.

"Oh what's this? You all wish to speak?" he stopped for effect. Sora immediately poked the two sitting next to her and commanded silence. Then she looked at him with wide adoring eyes, and he winked at her.

"Hmm now, which story should I tell today?"

There was an immediate commotion as everyone began to shout out their favorites.

"The Peach Boy"

"No the White Dog"

"I want the Moon Princess"

The little orange-clothed girl glared darkly at their outbursts. But before it could come to blows, the old man spoke.

"Today, I am going to tell you a story you have not heard before. It is a story of a princess," the boys groaned, "a samurai who was once a poor herd boy with his magic sword" the girls groaned this time as the boys cheered, "an evil king and an impassable bridge. I am going to tell you the story of the Weaving Princess and the Herd Boy."

There was dead silence as the crowd of young listeners gazed at the old man intently, almost leaning towards him in an effort to better hear the story.

"Mukashi mukashi" he started, and then stopped. "But perhaps some of you are to young to hear this story?" There were immediate protests, and he laughed, "All right, all right." He repositioned himself, cleared his throat a few times, and when he was completely sure that his audience was completely focused on him, he began again.

"Mukashi mukashi there was a young princess. But she was not an ordinary young woman of royalty. No. She was a sky princess. And she spent her days, not playing amongst the stars and gamboling through the heavens as one would think, but rather hard at work weaving. For that was her job. She wove the gossamer clouds that were spread throughout the sky in a delicate quilt. This made her father, the sky king, very happy. For it meant that he could focus all of his attention on his kingdom's politics. He was a good king, and he did not mean to make his daughter unhappy, but her work was so helpful that he soon forgot that it meant she was holed inside all day. Fortunately, the princess was sweet of temper and innocent at heart, and she did not mind the long days inside for it meant that her father was happy, and he never demanded more than she gave.

However, dark times soon fell on this happy family. His evil brother was jealous of his sibling's power and covetous of his kingdom. He was constantly smoldering and boiling over himself with plots and schemes. He convinced himself that he deserved what his brother held. That is why, one day, full of blue skies and balmy air, he snuck into the castle of the sky, and placed a small amount of fine powder in his brother's drinking cup. Just enough, for it was the strongest and most deadly of poisons. Made from acathia pollen, it sped through the blood stream and stopped the heart between one breath and the next."

"He doesn't die does he" one of the younger girls asks. Horrified.

Before the old man could find a suitably censored answer, the boy next to her says, "Well of course he does baka. What do you expect, that he drinks the poison and magically continues living. Even though his heart has stopped?"

The girl scowls at him, but settles down.

"Now, as I was saying, it was the strongest and most deadly of poisons, and when the good king drank from it, he fell straight to the floor, dead. But because it was not yet the time that the gods had ordained for him to die, his spirit did not make the journey to the mountains. It stayed, and it watched as his brother took control and brought thunder and dark skies to his once happy kingdom. But the most unhappy of all, was the poor weaving princess. Not only had she lost her father, but now she was commanded to stay in her small chamber working from dawn to long past the sun had set and creating more and more clouds. And yet the new king was never happy. It was always,

"You're so slow!" or "Why isn't there more" and even "this is poor quality! Are you telling me your father put up with this laziness!"

So the princess wept as she worked, and she suffered through his tirades. But as time wore on, she began to shrivel away. Her body became thinner and thinner as her hair began to lose its luster and her eyes its sparkle. Finally she fell sick and could not work at all. The king was exasperated, but he realized she needed a break. So he gave her a holiday.

She used that day to gambole and frolic among the water lilies found only on the small stream of the Milky Way. It was at the edge of the king's territories and close to the land of the star king, but she did not care. Her troubles were gone for a time, and her tired hands could rest.

As she sat on the banks combing her hair, she was startled by a voice behind her.

"Pardon me, but could I rest beside you as my sheep graze along the banks?"

"It's the herd boy!" the girls in the old man's audience suddenly shrieked.

"And do you know what this means?" the old man asked them. They shook their heads. "This means it is time for our mid-day meal. And I am hungry" he told them as he began to get up. The children begged him to go on. Just a little further, lunch could wait a few minutes more, they pleaded.

"But stories are always better on a full stomach" he told them as he began to shuffle towards the main house. "Come along. I hear there are noodles today."

_I laughed as I looked at their delighted faces. So easily pleased at the promise of their favorite edible. I suppose I was looking forward to it as well. It was still too easy to remember a time when there was not enough time to eat. When we were all rushing forward into battle, even on an empty stomach. I do not think I will ever forget the feeling. I will not ever forget the feeling of purging one's stomach at the sight of a battlefield, even with nothing in one's stomach at the time. It was not a pretty sight. It was not a good time. So much death and destruction, so many angry calls and despairing cries. Horses screaming as swords clanged together. There are some who relish battle. Who love the sight of armies marching against each other and banners flying as declarations of rank are shouted out between the two. These are usually the first to die, and if they live, rarely do they keep their feelings of love._

As soon as the children had finished cramming as much as they could into their stomachs without choking. They were at the old man's side again, young Sora at the lead.

"Grandpapa, what happens next?" she demanded, hands on her tiny hips and face scrunched up in a scowl. The image of her mother, he thought fondly.

"Now where was I? Ah yes, she saw the young herd boy behind her. But instead of being afraid, for she had never seen a young man so handsome and yet so ragged, she let him stay. And they struck up conversation about various things, and soon found that they had much in common. So much that they found they liked each other's company to want to continue to be together."

"Yuck" whispered a young boy at the back of the crowd.

"Yes, well" the old man shrugged. "Anyways, the princess decided that she did not want to go back to the castle where her evil uncle made her slave the days away. But this was not to be, for as soon as the last glimmerings of sunlight left the sky, the evil king and forcibly dragged her away to the castle, despite the protests of the herd boy.

Now this herd boyt was a very brave young man, and he knew what he had to do. He had to storm the castle and rescue his lady love. And for that he needed a sword.


	2. Chapter 2

He almost despared for a moment, but then he remembered. There was a sword, he had seen one. Granted it was in his dreams, but he knew it existed. It was at the top of a large waterfall, impenetrable unless one climbed up the slippery edge with the warer roaring down on you. But she was worth it.

So he climbed. Once small ledge at a time until his hands were torn and bleeding, and he was almost deaf with the sound of the water in his ears. Until there was only a foot left. The final challenge. There was no place to grasp and pull, only a chasm in the rocks between him and the next step. If he slipped... but no, he coud not think it. He had to make it.

Taking a deep breath and sending his prayers up to kami. He leaped.

Al the children held their breath as the old man paused for a moment.

"I do not know if I could have made such a leap in my youth" he told them, "Could you?" The children nodded fervently, sure of their own strength and bravery. "Hnn" he sighed, "So confident...

The young herd boy made it of course, and he got his magic sword. For it was magic of course. Magic of the greatest kind. No it would not split boulders or spew fire, for what kind of idiot wants a sword like that? It was a sword that would always give confidence to the wielder and never let him die without honor. A truly great sword, the likes of the great killer of demons, but of course that is a story for another day. Don't try and distract me" he glared in mock anger. "Now, I think it is time for you younguns to finish off the chores of the night, eat the delicacies your glorious mother has prepared for us, and off to bed." The children groaned and shuffled there feet. "Stories are always better after we have time to mull over parts of it" he told them sternly. He could tell they were getting tired, not from anything obvious as none were willing to show it, but the gradual glossiness in Sora's eyes did not need words.

_As I lay down on my worn tatami mat I thought back to the dream of the night before. That clear night of the full moon. I was there too. I had been a sleep a little ways off in a small natural cave, but the sounds of the voices had awaken me. I was just reaching for my sword, when I heard his last words. I did not come out for a long time after that. I knew he was prepared for his death, he had told me that it was his time, and if he did not find it, he was prepared to go out and seek it. This was natural, and I was not broken down with it. True it was sad to part after such a short time, but he had lived an honorable life. I had merely hoped he would allow me to be his second. But it seemed he had expected this newcomer._

The next morning all the children were up early, eager to finish their chores and get back to the story. They wanted to know what happened next.

"So, you have returned" the old man sighed. "Well then. Shall we begin again?

The young herd boy had found his sword. Now all he needed to do was learn how to use it. Of course, he had no one to teach him besides the sheep and the stream, and his own willingness to learn. But he was strong of heart, and he picked up the sword. His stance was not perfect, and his grip was not strong at first. But he spent the hours that he would normally have spent gazing at clouds, practicing and practicing, until he had developed a form that, while not the traditional art of the sword, it worked for him. Many a day and many a night one could see him flowing through katas and slashing at shadows. He would build up speed until he almost seemed to flicker between spaces and all that was apparent was a flash of silver and a whisp of blue cloth.

While this intensive training was going on, the princess had remained shut tight in her rooms. The evil king had dragged her there and told her blatantly that she would never escape. That she would remain there forever, weaving clouds for him, and she would never see her young herd boy again. Not if she cried forever, nor if she lived for a thousand years. For the evil king had stopped any possibility of crossing the once tiny Milky Way.

To prevent their happiness and to ensure that the weaving princess staid with him and continued to focus on her work, he had flooded the Milky Way. Pouring more and more of the special star water into it by diverting the water from elsewhere. This meant that, not only did he dry out the rest of the sky in his selfish maneuver, but also that the small stream became a vast and deep torrent.

So the princess soaked her work in tears and the herd boy pushed himself continuously to better, faster and sharper. And at the same time they were both longing to be together.

Finally, yes finally you impossibly impatient little chipmunks, finally the herd boy reached the point of completely mastering swordmanship. He felt he was ready. But when he reached his old pastures near the Milky Way, he did not find the small stream he expected.

'Warriors do not cry' he told himself. So he set to immediately building a bridge, but the only wood to be had, was from a sheltered grove of cherry trees. Now, as everyone knows, one does not carelessly go around killing trees. You might upset the kami inside, and then where would you be? More trouble than it's worth, let me tell you that.

Sometimes we forget the benefit of simply asking," the old man stated blithely, pointedly not looking at the pair of boys who had snitched a treat from the kitchen earlier.

"Sometimes the kami will respond to such politeness and give many gifts, or just the right gift. When the young herd boy merely asked the kamis, what he should do, and told them of his plight, a shower of branches fell. But they were not the old and dry branches he would have received if he had proceeded to chop up the grove. Instead, they were the perfect lengt and just the right blend of strength and fluidity, that his bridge was quickly built.

He crossed the bridge in the deep of night, carefully, oh so carefully, walking on the pads of his feet so as not to disturb the castle's guards. But, foolish boy that he was, he forgot that his sword shone like the stars. So as he slipped the hilt free of its sheath, it sent out a light so bright that it told all someone approached. He was caught. Two guards stepped out of the shadows of the castle wall and demanded his business, for he did not look at all like the small herd boy the king had known.

Fortunately for our hero, not all were loyal to the evil king. Some did not approve of what he had done to the princess, and these guards were such. They took him into the castle, but instead of leaving him in chains, to rot in the dungeon, they took him up to just outside the princess' rooms.

All would have been well and the two young lovers safe in the neighbor kingdom, if the evil king had not had a sudden urge to check in on his fair prisoner and to gloat over her beautiful weavings.

The door banged in, surprising the two. But the young herd boy, now a trained warrior, was quick to unsheathe his sword. The king was no match for him, he was younger and faster, and the old king had not kept in practice, too used to the paths of the shadows as the means towards power.

With a sudden reversal of his blade, the young warrior cut the king's head from his shoulders.

This freed the princess, but both of them realised that they had responsabilites. So the princess spends her time happily weaving just the right amount of clouds, and the boy continues to watch over his herd, still practicing his katas, but less desperately now. And once a year, on a special night, they put down the responsabilities and meet at the banks of the Milky Way, underneath the grove of cherry trees.

The old man stopped and gazed down at his young audience. Many of the smallest had drifted off, even Sora. They had again rushed through lunch and their afternoon chores to hear the story, and now twilight was beckoning them to their beds.

"_Ahh to be young and without cares," I thought to myself as their mothers gathered them up and tucked them in. The elder children drifted away to various other entertainment. Only the smallest of that age remained. He was a sharp child, and used his intelligence to survive among his bigger kin. But his eyes were always somber, serious, as if his soul was already old. This one's karma is nearly full. He waited silently, letting the light from the lanterns flicker over his face without breaking the silence._

_ "So Kage," for that was his name, "what did you think of the story?" I asked him seriously. I always talked to him as if he was an adult. How else would one talk to an elder soul, after all?_

_ "It was acceptable" he said, after pondering a few moments. I smiled, such a large vocabulary wrapped in the innocence of any possible insult within his words._

_ "What would you like to hear?" I asked him. I was curious how he would answer, with his mixture of ancient wisdom and childish naivete._

_ "Tell me a story of something important" he commanded, "something that has happened." I blinked, surprised. Just how perceptive was this child? Could he see into my dreams. For they were both important in the eyes of the government and hopelessly sad._

_ My eyes drifted closed without my notice. I could almost see it. My first view of the capitol when I had approached with the scroll commanding my participation in the armed forces._


	3. Chapter 3

It was huge! That was all I could think as I looked up at the walls of the complex. Not that it was towering, no, it was tall all right, but what amazed me was the complex system of buildings and stalls that crowded around me. All squawking and squealing, and I had only made it to the second district!

I wandered up to to the registration stall, eyes as wide as saucers. So many new sights and smells. Granted they were not all good, as the lower districts were full of animals and unwashed peasants. But I was raised in the provincial governor's estate. I was the child of a minor official there and, while I sometimes caught a hint of such urban odors, never in close contact, and never to such an extent.

The officer at the stall was sympathetic to my lost expression. It turned out that this stall was particularly for those called in from the official class. We were all too be lieutenants due to our birth. While I knew that this was not particularly fair, as we had no more experience than any other conscript, I was grateful not to be lumped together with the farmers and convicts.

After signing in we were released to gather any supplies we thought we might need, and to find rooms. We were to report to the upper sixth district at dawn to muster and to hear our commander. It was tradition, at that time, for the commander to meet his officers, down to the lowest lieutenant, and to give a speech to rouse the moral of the army. Many of the lower class had no idea why or for whom we were fighting, so this was a good approach. Generally, a man will fight harder for a leader he knows than for an untouchable figure.

We were to be an elite force in the name of the emperor. Not part of the everyday unwieldy force of the previous conscript armies. No we were chosen. All of us had some form of training with the sword, horsemanship or archery, to varying degrees, but none of us had fought as a large force. Just the everyday defending from bandits or police work.

Now we were fighting for a cause. The retired emperor, may he live forever, had sent out a call to Minamoto Yoritomo to rid the capital of this "barbaric tyrant," Yoshinaka. Yes this was a high cause indeed. We were to dispel the cousin of Yoritomo's cousin, the one he had allied with in order to defeat the Taira and conquer the capital. This was a front of course, the retired emperor was obviously best served by creating dissension between the factions of his conquerors. No this was a move for consolidation by Yoritomo for, apparently Yoshinaka had become too grandiose, too arrogant of his power in the face of Yoritomo's true superiority. Blood kin, it turns out, means next to nothing to these higher ups.

Our commander was young, that was all I could think at first. He was about the same age as me, just barely into his adult years, but he looked even younger with the bright eyed assurance and energy of one who has not fully experienced life. Granted, I was little better, but this was the one who was going to lead hundreds into battle. It is only in hindsight that I realise this. At the time, I too held the naivete of fresh exposure to the world, and the grandeur of his armor and sword overwhelmed me then.

He made a good show of it at least. There was no fear or indecision in his voice. He told us we were fighting to save his cousin from the demon that posessed him, and that in order to do so, we must fight his warriors to take back the capital and recapture the retired emperor. Such propaganda was influential to many of the newcomer.

That was the day we set out. It was a long road to the capital, fortunately I had brought along one of the sturdier members of my family's stable, rather than the flashiest, as many of my peers had chosen. I was reassured at this choice with the small nod of approval from one of the older veterans.

A warrior never speaks of the long path between battles. He never speaks of the aches or the stench, nor does he remember the nerves that riddled him as he approached his first blooding. That said, it was terrible.

_ My young audience stirred, and I looked up from my meanderings. Yes perhaps he was old enough. Perhaps I could lessen the weight upon my shoulders by speaking of it. He would hear of the false glories of battle, and the bloody deeds done on that field._

It was a red sunrise, that day, as if the skies already told the tale of what would happen. We had reached the outskirts of Kyoto and had set up camp surrounding the capital. Yokinasha was still inside, unsuspecting, when we saw smoke rise from the first district. He had set the Hojuji Palace aflame.

We were ready when Yoshinaka and his forces exited the city. They were not expecting us, so they died quickly when we sent in our torrent of arrows. A shower of death. Those who survived broke ranks and raced for the bridge across the Uji river.

They raced across without order, but once they had made it, their commander forced them into order again. And they destroyed the planks of the bridge across the Uji. The river was to vast and to deep for us to cross easily, but not impossible on a strong horse.

Our young commander sent the first rank across without checking the river bed for traps. They were gutted as their horses ran up against the spears pushed into the mud at the bottom of the river. Perhaps not so wild of a retreat after all. This, I suppose could be excused by karma, but then our commander ordered the second rank forward, and they went willingly. Such bravery would be honored in the next cycle of their souls. The screams of the horses still wake me up at night.

We rode over the bodies of those first ranks. They had slowed the current enough for us to pass without being dismounted and drowned. The river ran red.

The enemy had not rested on their heels as we crossed, and many fell to their arrows. But our army outnumbered them, and they feared to wait for our reinforcements. They skirmished, for no true warrior would turn his back on an opponent, but they stayed too long. Yoshitsune's army arrived. They had been guarding the southern gate of the capital and missed out on the earlier bloodshed, so they were eager to prove themselves.

Yoshinaka ordered a retreat and we pursued them for a day and a night, picking off the stragglers or those too arrogant to run faster.

Finally they reached the shores of Lake Biwa in the Awazu area, and they turned to face us. There numbers had been lessened drastically, and they were exhausted from the long flight, but they fought valiantly. Throughout the battlefield names and ranks could be heard shouted out from each side. I added mine to the clamor.

"Saburo no Takanaga no Minamoto seeks a worthy match! Cut off my head and show it to Yoshinaka!"

Yes I was something of an arrogant fool then.

Before I could conclude my stupidity with an actual challenger, the commander called on us to fall back. Yoshinaka's forces had succeeded in holding us off, now it was time for Yoshitsune's fresh forces to finish them off. As I was moving back to the shelter of the forest, I caught a glimpse of a woman out of the corner of my eyes. "Strange, what is a woman doing here?" I wondered. I saw her ride up to one of our soldiers, who blithely leered at her. And she stabbed him in the gut and proceeded to chop his head off. As I stared at this unnatural sight, she proceeded to discard her helmet, letting her hair trail behind her as she galloped to the east. Many of our men stared at her escape, but strangely enough, one did not look with astonishment, but with eyes of longing and pain. I could not worry about this for long. We were soon preoccupied with going through the now silent field to list the dead and finishing off the almost dead.

That night, as are camp had settled down and Yoshitsune's triumphant forces had returned with the head of his cousin, the shock wore off. I lurched off my cot and ran to the bushes at the edge of camp. The contents of my stomach were soon expunged from my young body. As I croutched there, retching even after I had no more to lose, a hand fell on my shoulder and pulled back the hair that had fallen out of my topknot.

"It's all right, son" a deep voice reassured me. "Everyone must have their first blooding."

I could not see his face as I looked up at him. He was enclosed in shadows. The only things I could see were the hilts of his two blades and the tassles of high office, though not what color.

I straightened in embarassment, garbled some form of reply as I bowed, and hastily rushed back to my cot, hoping he had not been able to identify me.

_I would not meet that stranger again until the end of the war. Only then would I discover his identity._

_ But perhaps you are tired of my story now. It is not a tale of glorious duels and fair maidens, at least my part of it. And there is much in between before you reach his. No?_

_ I smile as Kage shakes his head emphatically. Although he does not make the loud protests of most boys his age, he is still so young._

With Yoshinaka taken care of, Yoritomo turned his attention to finishing off the Taira. He received a mandate from our slippery emperor. Basically, it granted him emergency powers, theoretically only for taking out the Taira, but haven't you heard the saying? Power corrupts.

Yoshitsune's and Noriyori's forces were given the command to set out for the Western Provinces and towards Settsu Province. The KotoyTaira had fled to a powerful fortress in that area called Ichi no tani. It was a tactically sound maneuver. Not only was its location a possible staging area for a return to the capital and surrounded by a web of smaller outposts, but it was protected by the natural geography. It was covered from the rear by a steep incline.

Yoshitsune's forces were to move north and attack from the west, but we were sent to the east for a frontal assault. We moved in at night, supplementing Yoshitsune's surprise attack.

It was pitch black and we were ordered not to make any kind of light. Many of us stumbled before we reached the walls of the fort. We did succeed in surprising them and taking out a large number of the soldiers who were outside the walls, but we did not breach the inner fort.

It was only the next day that we succeeded in routing them. Yoshitsune had decided upon a three-pronged assault. Noriyori would attack from the front and Yoshitsune would split his forces. The majority would attack from the front while he personally led three thousand down the incline to attack from the rear. It worked of course. We were beginning to realise that most things Yoshitsune thought up worked.

Seeing that they were surrounded, and believing that Yoshitsune was, if not demonic, at least posessing of god-like powers, the Taira fled to their ships.

They took with them their recently appointed child emperor Antoku. The defeat shook many of the Taira to the point that they committed suicide at the loss of their honor by jumping overboard. Antoku's nurse was one of these, but she did not go alone. She took the young emperor with her. Perhaps he received a kinder death than the Minamoto would have granted. At the very least, it was an honorable death.


	4. Chapter 4

_ We were set to follow the Taira to Yashima, their headquarters in Shikoku, and complete their ultimate destruction, bu Yoritomo had other plans. He wanted to consolidate his power closer to home at the same time he separated and estranged his powerful was during this time that the deadly rifts between Yoshitsune and Yoritomo developed, at the expense of all his Minamoto kin._

After the fall of Ichi no tani, both of our armies returned to the capital to parade through the streets. We proudly bore the gory evidence of their victory. The heads of various Taira leaders saw the capital once more through their sightless eyes.

We stayed in the capital for three months of celebrating. There were various victory feasts at the expense of our hosts and all types of debauchery. We were let loose upon the city, and the city suffered for it.

I am sure they were glad when they saw the backs of us.

After those three months, Noriyori was ordered to dispatch the remainder of the Taira left in Kyushu, Yoshitsune was to remain behind and acted as Yoritomo's deputy. This, of course, meant a long and hard march through the Western Provinces for us.

I do not know just how their elder brother justified this change in roles, as it was obvious that Yoshitsune was the better military commander. Perhaps Yoritomo feared the chaos that would be caused by Noriyori. Although his youngest brother was an adequate commander, he was something of a proflegate.

On that note, he would have been surprised how well Yoshitsune administered. He kept the order by issuing decrees that ordered the termination of any violence within the Minamoto territoty, and he enforced these decrees as well. Even Yoritomo had trouble keeping the various factions in line.

Any admiration would soon devolve into jealousy. The titles and gifts given to Noriyori would be forbidden to Yoshitsune. Perhaps this was to keep Yoshitsune above the influence of court intrigues and politics, as his brother claimed. Perhaps not. Regardless, it did not bode well.

While this maneuveriing was occuring, we had marched through Honshu and down Harima. At that point we received word of Taira forces at the port of Kojima. It appeared to be an easy victory as their forces were holed up on the island. Easy, that is, until we found the small strip of water that we had to cross to get to them. The water was rougher than we had first assumed, and there were no boats.

As we were about to bemoan the loss of so many of our men in trying to create another bridge of bodies, a soldier at the rear volunteered that he knew of a fisherman who had a secret route to the island. It was a shallower crossing, built on a natural shelf invisible from the surface. With this path revealed, we were able to ride across in a charge that forced the Taira to their ships.

Again we suffered from the absence of ships, and so we could not chase them. Noriyori did not seem to distraught over the problem, though. The fisherman's young daughter had caught his eye, and he was more than willing to spend the remaining weeks of the year sheltered there.

As the new year began we eventually movedl further west until we reached the coastal barrier between the mainland and Kyosho. Then we were again to cushion our seats as we waited for naval transport. We were almost out of provisions and, while Noriyori had petitioned his brother for ships, he had received no definite answer.

_ We were angry and bitter at this point. Did not our lord care for us? Were we merely tools to be discarded and replaced if we did not achieve immediate success?_

_ These were the early days of what we now call samurai. The idea of honor in unflinching loyalty to one's lord was not yet fully realised, and were just men._

Fortunately, various sea-fairing samurai clans from Kyushu had decided that an alliance with the Minamoto would benefit them the best. They brought with them som eighty two vessels.

In February we crossed over to Kyushu.

_But I fear that it grows too late for you. Young man, you are falling asleep sitting up. These things will not change. The flow of time has already passed these events, and I am not likely to die between today and tomorrow morning._

_ He is silent as he gets up and prepares for bed. I can tell he is beginning to understand. The stories of the glory and honor make wonderful tales, but that is all they are, just tales. The reality is much dirtier than the golden halo that is placed upon them._

_ Ah you will laugh at my cynicism. But I agree that sometimes there are true heroes. Those brave figures of legend and there daring deeds are not always fantasy._

_ The first time I saw him with enough light, he was just such a figure. He still wore his armor then, unwilling to forget lost glory I suppose. _

_ He wore a red brocade tunic and his armor had purple shaded lacing. At his waist he wore a thin binding of black cloth. His horned helmet lay off to the side and his hair was up in a high tail, streaming around him as he moved through the forms. He and his sword appeared to be one and the same._

_ His movement did not falter as he spun and thrust his sword towards me. I ducked and scrambled backwards. He did not follow, merely looked at me and raised his eyebrow. I must have looked a sight then, worn and duty from my climb and tripping over my own feet. He must have decided I was no threat as he turned and continued his exercise. _

_ True I could do little damage to one so comfortable with his sword. But as I did not immediately leave, he eventually stopped and looked at me._

_ "Who are you?" he demanded._

_ He had the voice and bearing of one who is used to command and obedience, a vast difference from the hermit his location suggested._

"_I am Saburo no Takanaga, veteran of the Gempei Wars under the command of Noriyori no Minamoto."_

_ He stiffened imperceptably at this, but then relaxed. I did not pay much notice of this, as I had no reason to suspect him._

_ It was so long ago, that I can not remember the details of what else was said. Just that he introduced himself as Junichi of no particular clan. An interesting misnomer, was all I thought at the __time, for it was obvious that this was not his real name. But I respected his ability with the sword enough not to call him on it._

_ The words I have spoken to Kage bring back many memories, and images dance past my eyes as I dream. A lone figure, a beautiful women, a towering cherry tree with falling blossoms. Why have I chosen to bring back old ghosts?_

It was at that point that Yoshitsune was relieved of his stay at the capital and was able to again take up the role of military commander. He effectively took control of the remaining forces and led us through the tactics that culminated in our victory over the Taira.

He primarily used naval tactics, assembling a fleet at Wattanabe, which he used to approach Shikoku and the Taira headquarters at Yashima during a time when the Taira sources were focused elsewhere.

It was stormy that night, so dark that you could not see the hand ten inches from one's face, except during the sudden flashes of lightning. None were excited about sailing in such weather, even the veteran sailors were unwilling to leave port at first. There are two legends regarding how he finally convinced them. The first says that he threatened to kill any man who disobeyed him, a sharp bluff considering there were so many against him, and he needed every one of them in the coming battles. The second which, to me, sounds more like him, says that he threatened to commit suicide at the prow of the ship and thus curse the fleet and the sailors with his angry spirit.

Regardless of which is true, the ships set out to sea. Seemningly unperturbed by the weather or the possibility of his death, Yoshitsune landed at Shikoku as the moon was just breaking through the clouds. Then came the hard part. After nearly losing everything we had eaten over the sides of the ships, we marched thirty miles without rest until we could see the banners of the garisson.

We were blessed that day. Despite its strategic importance, much of the Taira force was on an expedition to Iyo. In addition, the tide was just low enough for an easy crossing of the channel by horse.

Though the garisson was expecting us Yoshitsune had taken a leaf out of the Mongol books. He had disguised his relatively small numbers by having each man create five campfires. So when the guards looked out at night, it appeared as if the army before him was made up of millions rather than a few thousands. This overestimation as psychological warfare worked well and the commander of the Taira ordered an immediate evacuation to the waiting ships.

We charged down the hill and across the channel without stopping. We were a torrent of sound and laughter. This was our day and we were unstoppable as the light flickered off of our swords and we screamed our clans' battle cries. True we were soaked to the skin and goosebumps broke on our exposed skin, but the heat of battle was soon upon us so that we forgot our chills.

We got between the evacuating Taira and surrounded their ships. The women had already made it and now it was the men's turn. They fought desperately, but could not break us. By the time the Taira commander realized that we were actually a much smaller number than he had thought, the fort was on fire.

We fought through the day but our strength finally flagged at dusk, and the Taira used this wavering in a final push to the ships. They made it and sailed further out to sea, with Yoshitsune following along the coast.

They mocked us and questioned our honor and skill from this place of safety. Yoshitsune demanded some challenge to prove his warrior's worth, and the Taira agreed. They pulled out a small fan as the target for our best archers. Fortunately, we met the challenge. One of the smallest of us was a superb archer, despite his size, and he managed to, not only hit the fan, but split it in two.

Although this feat was applauded by both sides, it also caused some consternation for those on the ships as they quickly moved further back out of range.

During the night the Taira sailed to the nearby harbor of Shido. Yoshitsune pursued for a time, but then decided to use the tactics that had worked so well before. He did not rely on fire alone, as it was unlikely that this would work a second time, but he also had us make as much noise as we could. We worked in shifts. While some of us slept with cloth stuffed in our ears, the others made as much noise as they could banging pots and playing instruments. Apparently the Taira were more foolish than we thought because they again believed we were more than we seemed, and they completely abandoned the island.

After a brief rest, we followed them to Nagato. Fortunately our victory had gained us new allies who had decided that we were worth backing. And they brought even more ships.

_ Fah! young one how you do let me go on. Already your brothers and sisters are wondering what strange things I am telling you. An off hand name or description should delight them. Shall I tell them of the loyalty of Kanehira, or perhaps the song of the fleeing Taira woman. Or perhaps I shall tell of how Yoshitsune defeated and won the fealty of the giant Benkei. Ahh, how your eyes sparkle at the notion of hearing more of the Minamoto family. Already you begin to see the possibiltiy for adventure and glory within this family._


	5. Chapter 5

_Right then, call the youngsters in, I can hear them crowding the door. Yes, I can hear you, you little squeaking mice with your loud whispers and thudding footsteps. You almost make me think that Benkei has come again._

The children swarmed in, not in the least abashed at their discovery. Even Kage looks excited, despite the interruption of the old man's narrative.

"Now, has any one heard of the the giant Benkei?" the old man asks the squirming audience.

They shake their heads solemnly.

"What have they been teaching you? Those silly tutors of your's?" he teases.

"Well then. I will describe him for you. As I have said, this Benkei was a giant. He was so tall that he could touch the roofs of the houses and the pole cutting across the shrine gates. And he was so strong that when he hit a tree, his fist went straight through the trunk. - No don't try and hit the wall boy, you will only get a bloody fist for your efforts. - Hmmph. As I was saying, Benkei was very strong, and he was proud of his strength. He used a naginata as his weapon, but since normal naginata broke when he used them, he made a special weapon for himself. The pole was the trunk of a pine tree, and the iron spear at the end was three feet thick and made of the strongest metal he could find. But that was not all. It was also imbued with magic, a magic that said his weapon would never break until he came up against the man he was meant to follow.

Since Benkei was so arrogant, he did not believe that he would ever find such a man.

Benkei was always trying to find a way to make him stronger and better. He realised that he did not have the social connections, nor the means to pay for tutors, so he decided to gain respect by his force of arms. He would be the best.

At first he started out as a warrior monk who enclosed himself in a cave on the mountains. He spent his days lifting boulders and punching trees, but he soon found that this was not enough. Nature did not provide a sufficient challenge. So he decides that he should be a robber. After all, most robbers rely on brute force to get their stolen goods. And what better place to challenge himself than smack in the middle of Kyoto.

"I want princesses" Sora suddenly exclaimed.

"Shush you insolent child. This is a traditonal legend of your heritage. There are men with big sticks, what more do you want?" the old man barked at her.

"Anyways, Benkei decided to set himself up on the Gojo Bridge in the center of Kyoto and challenge the warriors who walked past. If he won, he would let them live, but he would take their sword, the ultimate dishonor.

This was during the time that Yoshitsune was governing the capital, just after he had defeated his cousin, and such banditry would not go unnoticed for long.

By the second week Benkei had gathered nine hundred and ninety nine swords of varying quality. The warriors were now coming in swords to gain the honor as the one who had defeated the infamous giant. Soon they came in groups of two or three, then five, then ten, but none managed to defeat him.

It reached the point where the fights had begun to draw spectators, which caused the normal organization of the community to be disrupted even further. Finally, Yoshitsune came himself to see the challenger that so many spoke of.

When he approached, Benkei greeted him with the shout " You are the one hundredth victim!"

Either he did not recognize him, or he was too drunk on success to care, but Benkei failed to give Yoshitsune the respect he was due, not only as the commander of the Minamoto forces, but also as the de facto governor of the area.

Yoshitsune's face tightened and he drew his sword.  
Benkei raised his naginata and swung it down. But no one was there. Then Yoshitsune attacked from behind, and Benkei turned and swung, but Yoshitsune had again disappeared. This went on for some time with Benkei swinging and Yoshitsune disappearing from where he had been targeted.

When I say disappearing, I do not mean by magic, as by this point the dark princess – yes Sora, a princess – had stolen his winged shoes. Rather, he moved so fast that by the time Benkei had finished his swing, he was already in the next position.

Now by this point Benkei was getting tired of swinging without hitting his opponent, and he had hit the iron railing of the bridge so many times that many were surprised that it was not yet dented.

Frustrated, Benkei gave one more mighty swing downwards, and an earsplitting crack was heard.

The naginata made of a tree trunk and magicked to be unbreakable, had broken.

As Benkei stood staring at his weapon, frozen in shock, Yoshitsune finally struck. It was not a hard blow, nor was it aimed in a deadly manner. Instead it only created a shallow slash on Benkei's forearm, but that was enough.

At that the giant's exhaustion hit him in force, and he fell to his knees.

"Oh mighty warrior. I am no match for your strength. Might I not know the name of my defeat, so that I can carry it with me on my journey to the mountains?" Benkei asked as he unlaced the ties of his armor, baring his neck to the death he was expecting.

He would not find it that day. Yoshitsune simply turned and left the bridge. Reaching the end, he spoke without turning.

"My name is Yoshitsune no Minamoto."

At those words Benkei looked up and, seeing his old opponent so far off, he stood and followed. And from that day forward he followed Yoshitsune everywhere he could. It was an odd sight seeing the two together. The tall man stalking alongside the smaller, leaner man. People often said that they held a karmic bond because, even though they did not speak together of personal matters, they were intensely loyal to each other and would become what you would could consider friends of a sort.

And that is why, young ones, you should never insult someone simply because of their size, for often times they will eventually become your best friend."

The children crowded outdoors once the story had finished. Eager to begin playing robber and hero. The old game of leap over the stream to catch the princess had gotten old, this was a new source of fun.

_Well, young Kage, did you enjoy the story? I suppose it was a bit ramshackle compared to what I have been telling you. But it has served to distract the others for at least a couple more days. Now where was I... ah yes._

We set sail the morning of the twenty fourth day of the fourth month, just as the cherry treees were beginning to flower.

We actually outnumbered the Taira ships now. The addition of the fair weather allies had brought our numbers to nearly double that of the Taira.

The battle that day would go down in history as Dan no ura. We were cramming the flotillas and as one man fell, he was quickly disposed of overboard, to be replaced by another.

It was a battle of archery until we reached the Taira's boats. The tide was in their favor, and their arrows killed many of us. At first our victory was somewhat doubtful as our opponents fought well and the elements seemed to be on their side. But suddenly one of their ships broke off and the Minamoto banner was raised on it.

All of us were somewhat disgusted at this traitorous behaviour, but our leaders were practical, and took the traitor Taguchi's information. He told us which ship among the many, held the imperial family.

Armed with this knowledge, and a favourable shift in the wind, Yoshitsune rallied our forces and leapt across the gap between our ships and theirs. He was the first, yet he did not bother to pause to proclaim his feat. He plunged into battle, a fury of sword and armor drove through the Taira ranks as we followed. Proud to have such a leader and eager to prove ourselves to him.

The battle turned to favor us and at last the Taira gave up hope. Many stepped over the sides of their boats, to lose their dishonor in the waves. After honor is lost, what more is there to do but to close this cycle of karma and allow for the next cycle to begin anew.

_Their brightly colored kimonos wer like falling petals, drifting down to the water like the shower of cherry blossoms when the wind blows down the streets of Asakusa. How sad that this breeze of impermanence should scatter what were once such august blossoms. They move in an instant, spiraling downwards. Who can say how long they would have stayed, perched upon the uppermost branches, if not for this sudden breeze._

The warriors followed in droves until the sea was full of them. Our victory was complete, the Taira were vanquished and all was well with the world, or that was how it should have been.

With the Taira destroyed, the last obstacle to Yoritomo's power fell away and he declared himself shogun. However, one small factor disturbed him. His brother was the attributed leader of the Minamoto, at least in the perception of the warriors, if not the court.

Yoritomo willed himself to believe that the retired emperor was conspiring with his brother to take over the shogunate and dispose of the elder Minamoto brother. He flew into a rage and drove Yoshitsune out of the capital.

Some stories say he fled to the boundary world with the help of the kami, others say that he comitted seppuku. And still more speak of his murder, and how a certain forest will ever be haunted by his vengeful spirit.

Whatever the truth may be, the hero of the Genpei Wars was gone, and his younger brother soon followed. Yoritomo's paranoia was fed by his advisors to the point that he killed one brother, what was to stop him from killing the next.

Noriyori must have been thinking along the same lines, for he abandoned his post to go to his brother and protest his loyalty and everlasting love. This was the wrong move.

His loyalty was already somewhat questionable in the face of his own pleasure, and so his abandonment not only led his brother to question his stability as a reliable administrator, but his desperated protests only served to make him look guiltier.

He was executed as a traitor the day after he arrived. So as to dissolve all doubt of his death and the belief in his guilt, his head was mounted on a pole outside the main houses in Kamakura. No mercy for betrayal, even if it was only suspicioun of betrayal.

Of course these tidings, while they did not affect the regular soldier directly, eventually the consequences trickled down.

At the time of Noriyori's death, I had reached a higher office and was fearful that the commander's condemnation would cause my death. It did not do so, fortunately, but it did cut off any hope of reward and prestige. I was left with nothing except what I already had. My horse had been killed in the last battle and I was left with no means to travel except my own two feet.

So I set out on the weary road back to the province. Back to this very household. My road would take me through the mountains. It was either that or some how manage to gain sufficient coinage to buy passage by boat. The prices were already impossible at normal level, but since so many were heading home by sea, the prices had risen enormously.

There were no ties for me yet, and I reasoned that it would do me good to travel through Japan and see what I could see.

That is why, a month aftter the final battle at Dan no ura, I was cold, starving and penniless. And that is why, I was left wandering the mountain forests, completely lost.


	6. Chapter 6

That's when I first saw him. Practically delirious with cold and hunger, I met the man who called himself Junichi of no particular clan. He took me in, out of pity I suppose, and he cared for me. I had caught a fever in my wanderings, and that night I raved as my body burned. He sat beside me, every so often replacing a cool cloth on my forehead and he listened to me ramble about everything and nothing. At one point I distinctly remember telling him that he was an evil oni with two horns and purple skin, and that he was sent to punish me for my sins, but that I was a kung fu master and would not submit.

During the night, my body finally burned itself out, but I was weak as a lamb for the following days, and completely dependent on Junichi. He walked me through my convalescence without complaining, and we developed a strange sense of friendship.

As I was confined to the makeshift bed in the corner of the cave he inhabited, he would often sit by the fire and sing. He had a surprisingly fine voice for such an obviously militant man. He sang songs of war and of love, but most of his songs were sad and full of longing.

One of my favorites was a song I recognized from the days I had spent reading the classic anthology of one thousand leaves. Shall I repeat it here?

It went like this:

_If just for a moment, my love,_

_I could have viewed together with oy_

_the blossoms of the wild cherries _

_on the foothill-trailing mountain,_

_would I be caught yearning like this?_

After he finished, he would gaze off to the east without speaking, for several minutes. He was not with me in those moments. He was far off in some distant place with whoever he was thinking of.

I discovered his true name purely by chance. He had given me an old yukata of his to wear as I slept, and it was only once I was lucid enough to notice my surroundings that I examined it.

It was made of quality cloth, not silk, but still much finer than I would have thought a ronin, for that was what I assumed he was, could afford. It was while I was admiring the weave and colorful print, that I happened to notice the seal on the back. Perhaps he had forgotten that it contained such markings, or perhaps he wanted me to no. At that point I had told him my troubles and my loyalty to Noriyori.

Whatever his reasons, he at least seemed to trust me enough not to immediately seek my death.

"So. Now you know" he said blankly.

I gaped at him in astonishment. This man was a legend. Everyone was talking about Yoshitsune's exploits and his sacrifice to his brother's wish of ultimate power.

"Cease this foolishness" he ordered. "I am nothing more than the man you see before you now."

"But how" I stammered out. All had believed him dead, at least that was the official statement, at the very least he had disappeared.

"Simple" he answered cooly,, "I ran away." He thought for a few minutes, "I could not have gone to my old shelter with the monks, that would have been too obvious and put them in a dangerous position. No, I could not have done that. So instead I came here. A place few people have any need or desire to go to." He smirked at me, "except you of course."

"Minamoto-san -" I started, but he interrupted me.

"Do not call me by that name. I am merely Junichi." he growled at me in sudden fury.

I stopped for a moment, in order to gather my words.

"How did this happen?" I asked after a while.

"That is a very good question. And I am not sure of the exact answer." He did not say more until he had shed the armor he practiced in daily, and had donned a blue kimono with the image of a lone crane on its back.

"So then." he murmured to himself. "Shall I tell the story?"

I looked up at his words. I had not expected him to speak again this evening, after being so verbose earlier.

"My brother and I" he murmured to himself, "were once like two wolves sharing a hunt. But he forgot the need for kin, and came to see me as a rival for the same prey."

"Hnn, wolf lose head ne?" I asked sarcastically.

"Most likely" he smiled.

I waited a few minutes more for him to continue, but in the end my impatience got to me.

"And...?" I asked leadingly.

His mouth quirked in a kind of half smile. "You want to hear my tale then? Are not you a little bit too old for bedtime stories?" Before I could answer, he put his hands up in surrender. "All right then, I suppose I should start from the beginning."

_Yes the beginning Kage, Not my beginning but his. His would start much further back than his birth or his brother's birth. The story of Yoshitsune is really the story of the Minamoto clan itself, and for such a lenthly history one must understand the political situation of Japan during the time the Minamoto rose to prominence._

_It starts at the end of the Fujiwara power. They had spent their entire political career using their women to gain positions and titles. A Fujiwara woman would marry the reigning emperor and, once a son was born to them, the emperor would be pressured to resign and a regent, generally the maternal grandfather would be named, and the cycle would begin anew. With Fujiwara regents controlling the government, they not only numerically dominated administration posts and lucrative provincial positions, but they also forced the emperors to become virtual puppets. _

_A major problem with this system was that the imperial family grew too large, and sections were always being siphoned off to be sent to the provinces and renamed. These pseudo exiles turned their attention to military power, which eventually caused the formation of clans of warriors led by local elites. Two of the more powerful clans, or families, were the Taira and the Minamoto, or as popular legend calls them, the Heike and the Genji. These clans, while technically considered to be __outside of the imperial recognition, were often used to supress rebellions, even those led by scions of the other clan. However this fine balance of power was potentially very dangerous. Although they negated each other when it came to political power, what would happen if one gained precedence over the other?_

_This threat was not taken seriously by the court. They were too focused on the folds of each others fans and their clothing to care about such country bumpkins whose only use was to stop the rebels from staining their pristine lives. Such a change was soon to come, and the courtiers could not hide behind their screens and delude themselves that all was well. _

_It was the second incursion that the retired emperor Go-Shikawa had to face. This was due to a factions resent of the privileges granted to his close attendants and men who enjoyed his favor. This kind of factional dispute was relatively normal, what made this one exceptional was the division of clans. The Taira, led by Kiyomari, had sided with the retired emperor, and Yoshitomo no Minamoto supported the opposition. Time has decided that this would be called the Heiji Disturbance. In the end, the Taira emerged victorious. Thus the Minamoto leadership was executed and its heirs were soon to follow. It was only due to a Lady Ike, a compassionate and influential Taira woman, that the fourteen year old son of Yoshitomo was not killed. This is where Yoshitsune's story begins. Or rather, this was when his brother, Yoritomo, escaped death at fourteen and was instead exiled to Iza._

"The beginning, I suppose, rests with my brother. When I was much younger I used to follow him everywhere like a small puppy, constantly tripping over my robes and looking up to him adoringly. When he went to train, I followed behind and imitated his swordmanship with a stick that had been carved into the shape of a sword by a compassionate blacksmith who was willing to humor the small lordling that I was. When he ate, I ate with him, when he slept I slept too. He was my world then. I was a child that had no father; he became the father figure that I desired. At night sometimes I begged for stories.

He was more compassionate then, or perhaps he enjoyed the feeling of having a constant follower who was in awe of everything he did. But he was also very proud, so, sometimes he would ingnore me completely, sometimes he shook me off, and very rarely he would sit with me and spin tales. It was only as I grew to the age of around seven or eight and could understand, that he began to tell me of our families history. So I shall start with his words."

He stared into the fire for a long time after those words. As if he was memorizing the dance of flames and the hints of blue at the base. Sparks drifted outwards, but he made no movement. It almost seemed as if the fire had transported him to a different hearth. After a while he began to speak, but his voice was deeper and had a strangely lyrical cadence to it, as if someone else was speaking through him.

"I was born in the year of 1147. I was a spring baby and the household was full of joy at the arrival of another son, or so my mother told me. I was the son of Yoshitomo no Minamoto and Saneori no Fujiwara, each scions of powerful families and it seemed as if I held a future full of promise. But this was not to be.

My father was a large man, with strong arms and a smiling face. Sometimes, when I was very young and he was feeling playful he would pick me up and carry me on his shoulders. I adored him. He was the strongest person I had ever met, not that this meant much in my six years of life, but he appeared so much more powerful than others. At my first presentation, when I met the emperor, just before he was about to retire, I was surprised at the difference. The man sitting on the throne appeared to be drowning in his ceremonial robes. He was so small and his limbs were weak and thin. He had a receding chin and protrubing eyes. This was the most powerful man in the kingdom? I asked myself. He gave me a present of a small wooden sword, similar to the one at your hip, except heavily decorated."

At these words from the mouth of his brother but through his lips, Yoshitsune's hands moved unconsciously to grasp the hilt of the sword at his hips. I waited anxiously to see if he would draw it, but he merely dropped his hands and continued speaking.

"I was happy enough to receive such gifts, and proudly showed the sword off to my cousins. Much jealousy ensued.

After that meeting, I asked mother about the weakness I had seen in the emperor, and what it meant. She smiled that secret smile women get when they have gotten away with one of their schemes and told me that I would understand when I was older. I hated that answer, was I not the son of a great lord? Should I not already inately understand such matters?

I went out to the gardens to play kickball with my numerous cousins, content in the knowledge that at least my father was the strongest in the world. One of my cousins decided to challenge this fact with the declaration that his father was the strongest. He was the scion from a different offshoot of the family who was visiting for a time. Doubtless he was ignorant of the ways of the world. Nothing a good pounding would not cure, of course. What joy to be the top of a dog pile of boys, a dog pile of which said blasphemer was at the bottom. He left soon after.

My mother was not happy about this turn of events. Especially since such shenanigans called for a new set of robes, but my father laughed and tussled my hair, congradulating me on my victory. This is the way with our family. The strongest triumph and the weaker ones slink off to the sidelines.


	7. Chapter 7

But these amusements would be short lived. As I grew out of the majority of my robes and away from my nurse, I began to be required to spend more of my time at lessons or training. I enjoyed the sword training, it seemed almost like a dance, despite the numerous times I tripped over my feet. But the lessons were boring. I realised the importance of being able to read and write, but it was harder for me to see the importance of reading Buddhist tracts and mundane government documentation on land rights. To me, growing up and becoming a lord did not require such details. Rather it would be days of constant fighting and horseback riding, as well as other active diversions. Adult life would not be full of days sitting in a cramped room doing paperwork.

There was constant strife in the imperial houses during this time. Private conflicts easily became public issues, and the lack of privacy induced a general situation of eavesdropping and blackmailing.

During my eleventh year, conflict broke out once more. This time it was between the factions of the imperial throne and their supporters. The arguments were not precicely clear, beyond the chronic jockeying for power, but the line between the two groups was drawn in dark ink. On one side was the retired emperor Toba and his son Emperor Go-Shirakawa, supported by Fujiwara no Tadamichi and Taira no Kiyomori, on the other was Retired Emperor Sutoku, supported by Fujiwara no Yorinaga. The entire Minamoto clan was split down the middle on this conflict, even within our section of the clan. My father was the heir of the Seiwa Genji, and he sided with Retired Emperor Toba and Emperor Go-Shikawa, but grandfather, the head of the Seiwa, called Minamoto no Tameyoshi, sided with Retired Emperor Sutoku.

Go-Shikawa's faction won in the end, and it was like a golden age for our family. I did not know Grandfather, so it made little difference to me when we heard that he had been executed. The only difference, I found, was that my father had been named head of the Seiwa. This meant two things for me, I had precedence over my playmates and could use it to make them grovel, and it meant we moved into a household closer to the imperial palace, and thus a new setting for our games.

As I reached my twelfth year, the capital opened up to me, and I came to understand the complexities of court life. My father took me around to the different officials to show off, we walked through the imperial gardens, and, as a young boy, I was able to gain glimpses of some of the court ladies. That was the year I received my first court title. At the time, I strongly believed it was due to my prowess at kickball, it was only later that I realized it was due to my connections to the imperial line and because of the political manuevering of my mother's family.

All was peaceful, at least relatively so, for a while as each group established themselves in their new position of power, or adapted to their losses. But things soon turned for the worst, and our position on the wheel of fate shifted once more. Only this time it was a much deadlier shift for our immediate family.

My father had recently taken a new, much younger wife, which my mother was not happy about. So she had decided to enclose herself in her rooms and not involve herself in family politics. A silent protest that I thought was somewhat ineffective, as my father found it quite easy to warm the cold bed she left behind. Regardless, this new wife proved ferile and soon became pregnant with you. I looked toward the arrival of a younger brother with both excitement and apprehension. Much as our father did. At that point he was already embroiled in the political arguments of the court and had little time to spare on his existing son, but he often stopped his work to coo over the rounded stomach of your mother. I was not amused, and had just decided to hate your existence, when you were born.

You were the ugliest little person I had ever seen. I even asked father if he was sure you had not been replaced by a goblin child by mistake, which earned me a well deserved smack, as well as a bout of roaring laughter. It had been a long time since my father had laughed so, and I was happy to be the reason he had, no matter how hard my cheek stung from the force of his hand.

After watching the futile attempts you made to crawl, and your absolute helplessness, as well as your inability to eat in a cleanly manner, I decided you were to weak to hate. I was somewhat bemused at your fascination with my hair. It was still long at that point, and it was your everlasting pleasure to grab it and tug. Once I had unclenched your surprisingly strong grip, I would inevitably find pieces of whatever you had eaten and other questionable substances in it.

When you were just four months old, it became obvious that our father had been even busier than we thought. Yet another women had birthed a son by him, this was our brother Noriyori. By this point my mother had returned to father's bed. But at the news of yet another sowing of his wild oats, she departed once more for her rooms.

You were still much more interesting a baby than he, at least in in my juvenile mind. You were always moving, your eyes bright and inquisitive as you squirmed in an effort to role over. You were never patient, if you were not squalling for your mothers milk, you were whining to escape her grip. Noriyori, on the other hand, was constantly sticking things in his mouth, and making himself sick. For a while it amused me to place random objects before him and watch his efforts to imbibe them, but it soon grew old and I returned to teasing you. It was a favorite game of yours for me to poke you with a stick and for you to grab at it as I waved it in front of your face.

In 1159, I had just turned fourteen, and yet another civil war broke out between the members of the imperial family. In this war there was newly crowned Emperor Nijo, supported by Taira no Kiyomori and Fujiwara no Nobuyori versus Nijo's father, Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa, who supported by our father, Minamoto Yoshitomo and Fujiwara no Tadamichi. This time, we had chosen the wrong side to back, and the Nijo, but more importantly the Taira, were victorious.

These wider terms meant little to me as I was still confined to the household if not with an adult caretaker. To me, this year was only the year that I watched my father die.

It was supposed to be a lesson for the rest of the clan. We stood in the rain and watched as my father was allowed to kneel and recite his death prayer.

_As the blade cuts swiftly through the wind_

_how the blossoms whirl,_

_disturbed from their places_

_by the passing of the sword._

As he finished, he reached up to fix his robe. It was at that moment that the blade slashed down and cut through his neck. For a moment, his head remained in place, but then it slid down suddenly to land on the ground before him, and his body slouched over.

I had learned by that point, how to stay silent and to hide my emotions behind a courtier's empty mask. But inside I vowed that one day I would see all the Taira dead.

That was a rare moment of stillness, in the coming days there was a flurry of motion. My mother, who I had not seen beyond court dinners, had also been killed. I say killed, but really she was forced to commit seppuku at the dishonorable death of her husband. I am sure she was bitter at this. You and I, little brother, would soon have followed, if one of the Taira ladies had not, on a whim, decided that she adored us and that it would be cruel to kill ones so young and innocent of misdeeds. Better to wait until they had committed their own sins, she said. This would not have meant much, if the words she whispered were not into the ears of Kiyemorie himself. At the time, she happened to be a favourite of his, and this is perhaps the only reason we have survived so far. One should never underestimate the power of pillow talk, nor the foibles of aristocratic ladies and women in general."

Finally he seemed to shake himself from his trance. His narrative had taken several hours, and I had already replaced the tinder in the fire pit twice. The moon was at its zenith, and in the distance a wolf began to sing. It was an eery serenade to his story, and he listened in silence. Finally he sighed and went over to his bed and lay down. There would be no more talking this night, nor for several more days. It seemed I had exhausted his store of words.

_Now Sora, I see you peeking through that window. Didn't you know that I have eyes in the back of my head, and a magic tengu nose that can sniff out any listeners? The little girl giggles and disappears for a moment. She tumbles through the open door with grass stains on her knees and her hair happily tussled._

_He winks at Kage, "Ahh so it's more stories you're wanting. What else am I good for except to sit here all day long and tell you stories? Never you worry, I'll never get tired of it and want a rest, but no..." he grumbles at her. _

_She laughs at him and again announces her desire for a story._

_He looks at her suspiciously, "You are a kitsune in disguise, aren't you? Where is your tail little kitsune? Fine then. A story, a story about the tengu. Now let me see..."_

"_The tengu are part of the old stories. They are small beings with feathered wings and long prominent noses. Other stories describe them as monsters with sharp teeth and pointy claws, who knows, they could be both and neither. Sometimes they go around disguised as birds, other times as monks, and sometimes as small mischevious children. You never know if a tengu is around, who knows, maybe one of your younger brothers is actually a tengu and your mother is humoring him by pretending he is one of her own flesh and blood"_

"_Ouch! Woman, if you do not appreciate my stories do not listen! There is no need to whack a poor old man on the head."_

"_Poor old man, my foot" she mutters, "more like doddering old fool who does not know when to sit quiet and eat his noodles."_

_He ignored her and focused on the two young children."Harumph. Miserable old biddy. Now let's see. Anyways, a tengu is full of magic. If you ever happen to catch one, you must immediately demand its name, or else it will place a curse on you. They are not inately evil, so the curse will not be too bad, but still not pleasant._

"_What kind of curse?" Sora interrupted._

"_Oh perhaps cold feet at night for a week, or your noodles will taste like your least favourite vegetable for a month. Something like that" he smiled at her expression._

"_A tengu is never where you expect him to be. They hide in cabinets and drawers, and in small shrines. But if you really want to find a tengu with a higher status, you should look in the mountains, __for it is only the smaller household tengu that you find in cubby holes._

_Tengu are very similar to birds, and many of the birds you see flying around the forest, are actually tengu. They are born in nests, just like chicks, and there meetings take place high up in the top-most branches of the tallest trees. You will never see a tengu fall, if one such awkward being exists, he would be put out of existence as an act of mercy._

_They are fast little buggers too. They seem to appear and disappear in an instant, but I think they just move faster than the eye can see. The only time you will see a tengu for what they truly are is in your dreams, for that is how they communicate. Tengu walk the path of dreams with such skill that it seems as if they danced on the mist found there._

_One of their most important characteristics, however, is their skill in the martial arts. They are masters at hand to hand and jujutsu. You will never win if you challenge a tengu to a wrestling match, and you will most likely receive one of the harsher curses as punishment for arrogance. But more importantly, at least for this story, is their skill with the sword._


	8. Chapter 8

_In the first thousand years of his life, a tengu learns the art of battle from an older tengu. He does not learn the fancy moves and sword juggling that is fashionable nowadays. No he learns the traditional forms, which are based on skillfullness, fluidity of movement and immediate reactions. Furthermore they learn tactical principles based on the processes of the universe, what you would call Zen teachings. _

_On very rare occasions, if a tengu finds someone worthy of his arts, he will take a student. If such a person is found, the tengu will become the most diligent of senseis. Every move you make will be perfect, your stance sublime, and every lunge of the sword will be as if you were dancing on the wind._

_One such student, is a hero you know very well. He was called Yoshitsune no Minamoto by the rest of the world, but the tengu had a special name for him, this was Ushigawa-Maru._

_ But now we get to the real story..._

_One day, our young hero was wandering the mountain paths, lonely and just a bit hungry, when he saw an old man wearing a monk's clothing and practicing with a staff._

_He went up to him and watched for a while without speaking, then he moved. But he did not move pointlessly. He moved in a perfect mimicry of the monk's forms except instead of a staff, he used his walking staff. He did not stop at the end of the form, instead he easily flowed into the next, and the next, until he had reached the ninth form. Only then did he stop._

"_Old man with the especially long nose," he queried in his high childish voice " will you teach me the art of the sword?"_

"_Child with the extremely short beak, why do you seek to learn?" the old man asked._

_Yoshitsune pondered for a moment, "I seek to learn that which has been forgotten but should not" he answered at last._

_This tweaked the old man's interest, and he decided to test this hopeful young boy's resolve. With a small movement of his hand, his illusion vanished. Instead of the old man in the monk's clothes, there appeared a wizened being with long white hair, tomato red skin, and a very long nose. This was actually the tengu king, Sojobo. _

_The strange boy did not flinch, and only raised his eyebrow in surprise. Sojobo decided that this boy had a very wise karma and that he liked this boy who had no fear. He liked him so much that he decided to train him._

"_You have the heart of a great warrior" he told Yoshitsune solemnly. "Let us eat lots of mochi to celebrate your good fortune" he cheered. He went by the policy that it was good to keep one's students on their toes and always trying to guess what one would do next. Either that, or he was mad as walnuts, from too much time spent alone on the mountain._

_Yoshitsune's training began without much ado, but at first it did not seem like training. His tasks consisted of cleaning the tengu's cave and moving boulders to enlargen it. The rest of the time he was spent either upside down on his head, or right side up balancing on narrow ledges. If not in those positions he was either climbing the trees or falling through the air because one of the branches he had grasped had broken off. Fortunately the old tengu's magic prevented him from doing any serious harm to himself. Gradually he built up enough strength and endurance to be able to withstand hours of sword practice, which was the whole point of such exercises, besides the need for his cave's spring cleaning and the old tengu's personal amusement._

_Once he started seriously working with the sword, Yoshitsune progressed quickly. Soon he had learned up to the thirtieth form, and after a year he was proficient enough to create his own forms. After two years he could hold his sensei off for fifteen minutes, and after three years, he could actually defeat him. It was only then Sojobo began to allow him to practice with the other weapons. Yoshitsune learned and perfected the use of the naginata, the staff and he mastered the bow and arrow, but he always came back to the sword. For some people there are certain weapons that just meld into the cadence of one's life. For Yoshitsune, this was the sword. _

_After five years the tengu king gifted his pupil with two things. Firstly he gave him a name with which all tengu would recognize him and give him aid as needed. Secondly he crafted him a sword made of steel, which was called Shinakio, which loosely translates as shining hope. This was the sword that he would carry with him for the rest of his life._

"_All right then little moe, tiny flower on the tree branch, are you happy now? Will you let an old man rest? Go off and do sprightly young things" he laughed as he shooed her outside._

"_So then Kage" I looked at the boy before me in question. The boy had a serious look on his face, even more serious than usual._

"_Grandfather," he asked finally, "What does it mean to die?"_

_I gazed at the normally silent one. If this was the kind of questions he had, I wonder if he had been a monk in the past life. It was a good question._

"_To die can mean many things" I told him. "It can mean to soar on the next journey. It can mean the end of the dream. It can be the ending of one existence in order to prepare for the next. Death can be honorable, it can be the natural end to a long existence on this plain."_

_He pondered this for a few minutes then he excused himself. Yes, such answers always took a while to fully process._

_Getting up to look outside, I noticed that summer had begun to end and the touch of fall was making its way into the trees. The other children were running around shrieking as they pushed each other into piles of the fallen leaves. Had there been a time I was so young? There must have been, and I clearly remembered my brothers chasing after me in fun. They were all dead now. Lost in the constant bickering of the higher ups. I missed them sometimes. Or at least, I missed the easy companionship I had shared with them before we had all grown up._

_Too soon we had grown apart, angry and quarelling over, of all things, a woman. This woman was my wife. She had been a newcomer to the area, beautiful in her strangeness. She was a recent exile from the court, and things had seemed so new and simple to her. He remembered how she used to sit in the gardens and read, without the obsessive care for her coif or her clothing that was required at court._

_We were young idiots then, this was before I had left to fight for the Minamoto, and we had very little serious things to worry about. We spent our days racing on our horses and annoying our parents with our pranks. Basically we did whatever we wanted. Too young to have responsabilities, and too old to be told what to do. To a certain extent, that is. Our father was dead, and though our mother railed at us to behave in a respectable manner, there was little reason to listen to her. We had our whole lives ahead of us, and plenty of time to settle down and be serious._

_These were my fondest memories of my brothers. On their fine horses, crouched over and laughing into the wind. There were four of us then. I, the second youngest, had two wonderful brothers to look up to in their exploits, the second eldest just close enough in age to merit competition. Our youngest brother was the baby of the family. He was five years younger than me, the product of our parents' middle age, and he was born just before our father died. The five years separating us, was an almost impenetrable distance, which annoyed him to no end. Atsuki and Eiji, my two elder brothers, used to tease him mercilessly._

"_You can do it Hotaka" they yelled down to him as he strove to reach the top of the wall which we, with our taller bodies and stronger muscles, had breached with ease. That was not his true name of course, his name was Kazuiki, but my brothers found it hilarious to call him names like 'step by step' as Hotaka translates into, for those who studied the classical literature of the Heian court, as my brothers did every once in a while. Kazuki, of course, did not. And so, while he did not know the actual meaning of such names, he could tell they were not to his benefit. This absence of knowledge infuriated him and drove him on._

_It did not help his situation that our mother favored him the most, and made it obvious to the rest of us. She was always giving him small treats, and wept piteously over the smallest of scrapes to the point that even he grew disgusted with her._

"_Mother" I would often hear him sigh with exasperation, "it is just a small scrape. I have not broken my neck and died, merely skinned my knee on a rock." This exhortation was generally followed by a wail from our mother at the prospect of him dying. She would plead with him not to go riding, which he ignored._

_While I did not go out of my way to bring Kazuki into our circle of older, and thus superior, brotherhood, I did not contribute to the rigorous mockery he received. I was well aware that, if I had been just a few years younger, and remained the youngest, it would have been I who would have dealt with the brunt of the elder's sense of cruel humor. At first Eiji sought to change this behavior by teasingly labelling me as 'the gentle one.' When I proceeded to pound him, the nickname was lost in the impermeable mist. This was generally the manner in which we behaved since, Atsuki liked to act as if he was above our disputes. I was built more muscular than Eiji and enjoyed the outdoor activities to a greater extent than he. But Eiji was usually faster, so we evened each other out. His focus was towards the skill or talent found within such exploits as swordmanship, whereas I was more interested in the strength. We never saw Kazuki's focus, he died before he could come of age._

_It was not a freak accident that came from our wildness, as our mother had prophecied. Rather he fell to the call of nature. He was just shy of sixteen when he fell ill. It was a horrible wasting sickness. Not the clean death of a sword stroke, but the gradual weakening of the body and the corruption of the mind. It took him two months to die. At that point, he was like an old man in body, and a child in his actions. He was unable to move from his cots, could not feed himself nor get up to rid himself of his bodily waste. His eyes were bright with curiosity, and he often asked us what, this or that object was. Things he knew by heart when he was well. Towards the end, he did not even know our names. I think, if he had been aware, he would have welcomed the end to such an existence. After all, man's life is like that of a flower, scarcely having blossomed before it withers away. There is no point in mourning his leaving us. There is only a faint sadness at his absence._


	9. Chapter 9

_We were somber for a few weeks, but then a new distraction appeared. That was when the woman who would become my wife arrived._

_She was glorious. Like fresh dew on the leaves of the cherry blossoms. She caught my interest almost immediately, unfortunately, she also caught my brothers'. I do not know why she chose me in the end. I was not the handsomest, that was Eiji. Nor was I the one with the greatest prospects, that would have been Atsuki. I was never worthy of her, and she passed through my life so quickly. She was only with me long enough to grant me two small children before she faded away into the dusk._

_But a cold breeze is now blowing through the house, and my daughter has come to lead me away from the open door. Have I truly been lost in my meandering thoughts for so long? That is the privilege of the old, I suppose._

"_Hah. So you have come back, young shadow. Does the imperminence of the world make more sense to you now?" I ask the boy who has popped up besides me._

"_Was it supposed to have?" he asks me with a curious tilt of his head. Smart boy._

"_No, I suppose not. Even Yoshitsune never made sense of it. _

_Now at this point in the story, they had been exiled to the rural province of Izu._

"Izu was very different from what my brother was used to" Kunichi, or should I say Yoshitsune at this point, started up once more. "He had been raised in the grandeur of the court with all of its elegance and ceremony. This new setting seemed almost barbaric to him. I was still too young to have become familiar with the urban setting of Kyoto, so it was much easier for me to adapt to the country setting. Besides, I enjoyed the freedom the large fields and silent forests gave me. And, once I could ride, I spent long hours on my horse exploring this new terrain. My brother hated it. He could not appreciate what he saw as a dishonor to himself and to his family. This setting was not a new place to develop in, but rather it was the setting of his exile.

Time passed this way for ten years or so before the domestic peace was broken.

It was storming, that night in the eleventh month of the year. The trees were whipping their branches around in a mad frenzy. The wind whistled through their branches in an eery call, and the rain poured down. It was a night to stay inside and pile on the extra blankets. It was not the time one would expect activity to brewing. Thus, it was the perfect night for any one to initiate an attack.

And that is what happened.

I lay awake amidst my covers, unable to let the sound of the rain on the screen doors soothe me into the peace of sleep. I was troubled, that night. I could tell my brother was unhappy, and I could not understand. What was there to miss in the stuffy rooms flooded with the scent of too many perfumes, that were our habitation in the capital? Here we could breathe the fresh air and wander outside whenever we pleased. Here we could ride horses and shoot arrows without worrying about whether or not our peers were better. There was no pressure for status, the only competition was with oneself.

As I was pondering this, I suddenly heard a noise. A small 'scritch...' as if some wooden object had scraped against the screens. It was not a loud sound, nor obviously outside of the normal sounds of the night, but my senses were attuned to the night, after having Noriyori jump me a few times. And this sound struck me as odd.

I silently reached for the miniature sword I kept at my bedside, as well as the small dagger that no one but the old blacksmith and I knew about. Cautiously I opened the screen doors a crack and peered out into the hall. I was not really expecting to see anything, except possibly my youngest brother, so when I saw the two figures in black, I was very surprised.

I must have made some sound of my shock, for one of the figures turned to look back. Fortunately, his eyes looked for someone the height of a full grown man, and I was but ten. So I was able to see the way his eyes glanced coldly down the hall. His face was shadowed above the mask that hid his lower face, and I could see the glint of silver that meant he held throwing daggers.

I knew what they were. Asassins. The most deadly of political tools. At least with poison one had the possibility of surviving, but a well-placed knife in the dark... Well, there were few survivors. I knew what they were, but it was not until much later that I realized that they were not there to murder the family holding us in some interclan dispute. They were here for us, the last of the Seiwa Genji.

I did not bother to close the screen door. I knew it was luck that had allowed me to open it before. Instead I crept over to the window, and exited through it. This was a normal route between my bedroom and my brothers when we wanted to continue our discussion without our caretakers knowledge. It was not a smooth route, fit only for an active boy since it involved dashing between open spaces and climbing up to the others window, but it worked for us. This was how I was able to reach Yoritomo. And this was why he had sufficient time to gather his sword and cause an uproar, the kind of chaos that is anathema to those silent shadow walkers.

His prowess with the sword was not yet enough to hold off the three grown men, so it was fortunate that they were not eager to remain. He managed to kill one and damage another. The next morning we saw the trail of blood that led into the forest, but a second body was never found. The body of the asassin that remained behind was ruthlessly searched for some clue to who had sent him, but nothing was found. This search was somewhat extraneous as it was perfectly obvious that this was a message from Kyoto that not all were of the same mind as the lady who had previously protected us. However, without official court sanction, our host could not rid himself of us.

That is why we were separated. Yoritomo was to remain at the estate and Noriyori was sent to a separate province, equally rustic. But I was sent to live at the Buddhist temple on Mount Kurama with the hope I would become a monk. I am not entirely sure whether this was meant to protect us or to separate us so that we could be finished off individually. What ever the reason, we all managed to survive.

I suppose you have heard the various legends about my training from the tengu king. While my mentor did have a large nose, I am somewhat doubtful of his magical properties. But it is a good story. It is good for a commander to have a certain magical or legendary aura around him. It makes his men both fear and look up to him as beyond human. So who am I to completely refute the stories?

Our prior hosts seem to have a different view of the temple than what was the reality of the setting. True it was a religious center, but its focus was more on the martial aspects. My days were spent, not perusing Buddhist scripture as I am sure my old guardians assumed, but practicing sword forms under his sensei who spent his free time as a temple guardian. Much like the stories of Sojobo. So I suppose there is a small kernel of truth in most stories.

I did not, however, receive a magic blade from the tengu king. Instead I spent two years apprenticed to the resident blacksmith forging swords for the warriors who came to our temple to train. Of course I was referred to as Jinenji then. It is a good name to use, and just generic enough not to be memorable beyond 'that boy who's face is always smudged with soot.' The sword that has gone down in history, this sword at my hip, is a product of my own hard work after two years of apprenticeship. Much better than any magic sword, I would think.

Indeed that was the majority of my first two years there. My days were full of menial labor for the monks, it was only in my third year there that I took up the sword. This was not within their planned regimen, of course. The head monk was not at all in favor of training me to be a potential threat, but the other monks liked me and did not see me as anything more than a small boy, bored with chores and seeking a challenge. Fortunate indeed, for if they had not I would doubtless end up with a shaved head and holding prayer beads, no matter the temple's less religious focus.

I was not completely isolated. Although the temple was supposedly hidden within the mists of the mountain, we generally had at least four or five visitors, and they always spent time exchanging news in the mess hall. Thus I kept a kind of haphazard perception of what was going on in the outside world. Letters from my brothers were rare. Not only did they have to secrete them out of their respective households, they also had to find someone going to the temple, and a means to pay him. So I received a letter about once every two years. That is why I had to rely on hearsay to find out how my brother's lives were progressing. Noriyori seems to have been doing fine. He was of the type who always manages to find some type of material benefit in a situation. Yoritomo, on the other hand, was like a square peg in a round hole.

He had been kicked out of our first host's household for 'intimate fraternization' with the daughter of the family. Yoritomo was not the type to put himself in uncomfortable situations for the gain of a woman, so I assumed that this was a ploy on his part. It worked as the indignant father ran him out of the territory, thus freeing him. He seemed to have wandered for quite some time over the next two years, and I lost track of him. I was not terribly worried. Although there was the possibility that he had been set upon by bandits and killed, I knew my brother's capabilities, he would have survived. If not from skill, out of pure stubborness. He would not have allowed himself to die before he took out the Taira.

This indiscretion with a woman was a tactic he would continue to use to manipulate the elders who saw him as an undisciplined tool that they could use to their own benefit.

When he finally surfaced again, I heard he was under the protection of Hojo Tokimasa in the Kanto Plains. From what my teachers told me, he was a rebellious figure, and his lands were constantly in revolt. From this I understood that the Hojo lord held no love for the Taira.

Thus it came as no surprise to me that my brother was found to have held an affair with the eldest Hojo daughter, Masako, and that they were soon to be married. This was an inconspicious way of cementing an alliance, of which the Taira overlords could not find complaint.

It was at this point I was told our entire family history by a well intentioned monk, and the desire for revenge began to burn in me as well.


	10. Chapter 10

Now I had a reason to continue my training beyond mere amusement, and above the generic skill of an aristocratic scion. Now I knew I had to become great.

I threw myself into my training, both with the sword, and on the study of military tactics and history. Later my sensei told me that my eyes seemed to burn with the inner flame of purpose. I was good before, but now I was even better. Each day I placed a new challenge on myself, to become faster, to run further, or to lift more weights. At the same time I was strengthening my body I was also extending my knowledge. This is why such an out of the way place benefitted me so much. There were few distractions. Here, a young boy would not be tempted by the aspects of the city, nor were there fellow boys to call him to play. I doubt, however, that if there were, I would have followed.

There was only one person who could call me away from my furious exercise. She appeared during the last year I would spend in the temple on the mountain.

Her name was Tomoe Gozen.

Of course, when she first appeared everyone believed that this newcomer was a boy. She, or rather, he made a very pretty boy and it was murmured that she was the manifestation of Murasaki's prince Genji. Of no relation to our family though. Tomoe had come to perfect her archery skills and to perfect the use of the spear. She was already able to defeat most men, but she was the type of person who was not happy until she achieved perfection."

_He stopped here. And for a while he seemed wrapped in his own thoughts. For once they appeared happy thoughts. I was reminded of the expression I often caught on my face when I glanced at a reflective surface as I thought of my own wife. I think we sat there like to lovelorn fools smiling at the moon for quite some time._

"The first time we met face to face was on the practice field. We were both dripping with sweat. It was the hottest part of the summer and I had discarded my shirt so as to feel even the smallest of breezes. I was somewhat surprised to see a smaller, more dainty figure wielding a sword nearly twice his size at the other end of the field. I was also amazed at his tolerance, his shirt was still on and he was standing in an area without any hope of a shadow.

So of course, being overly competitive, I challenged him. He gave no response, merely nodded and stood in the ready position. This was almost rude. The withholding of his name implied that I was not a worthy opponent. I decided that he was most likely too rustic to know of such formalities, I would excuse his lack of manners in this situation.

We matched blades, it was a much more even fight than I expected. He had considerable strenght, not equal to mine, but he used what he had to his advantage. When it came to contests of strength, he would push back just enough so that I would add more strength into my thrust, and then he would let go so that, if I was not careful, I would lose my balance and he would be able to swiftly cut me from the side. The men I had trained with had all focused on building up the muscular aspects of swordfighting, not the art behind it. As I started to adapt to his style of fighting he lost ground and then regained it in a continuous back and forth.

After much of the same, we finally both backed off and met each other's eyes. With this small signal we broke off, too exhausted to continue. Sheathing my sword, I extended my hand.

"My name is Jinenchi" I told him " you are a worthy opponent. What may I call you?"

He looked at me for a moment, and I had time to find surprise at just how long his eyelashes were, before he glanced away.

"I am called Tomoe" he answered and bowed. I bowed back and we both took our leave. Without realising it, we were both thinking the same thing. It was time for a relaxing bath in the springs.

I knew of a relatively secluded spot further in to the forests, and I headed in that direction.

It was not until I was practically at the spring that I was able to distinguish the sound of splashing from the running of the water. It would seem that the spring was already occupied. I did not think much of it, expecting it would be one of the various warriors roaming about the temple complex, and I went to step in to a different section of the spring.

It was at that moment that he, or rather she, chose to unbind her hair. I could immediately tell that this was no male's hair. For one thing, it was too fine, it appeared almost like silk, and for another, it was too well cared for. Most of us would give our hair a brief rinse and then pull it back up into a topknot. The hair I saw before me looked like it was brushed nightly.

During the duel earlier that day, I had managed to scratch my opponents arm, and that same scratch was present on this anonymous' woman's arm.

I tripped over a stone at that moment and managed to keep my balance, but I must have made some small noise as she looked up. Fortunately she still had her under shirt and hakama on, but she blushed scarlet and reached for her sword. I backed up, I knew well her skill with the sword, and, though she appeared equally exhausted, I was not about to gamble my well being on this appearance.

At my retreat she relaxed and lowered her sword while grumbling.

"Kuso, I was so sure of this clothing fooling the most observant. What gave me away?" she demanded, turning her attention back to me. She had clear grey eyes.

"Nothing" I somehow managed to stammer out. "I was merely coming to bathe. I did not know anyone else was familiar with this particular spring."

She looked at me for a moment, as if considering. Then she nodded.

"Well then, I must ask young sir who says his name is Junichi, that you keep my secret. It is not the safest path to take for a lady who wishes to learn the art of the sword. To many are willing to take advantage of her supposed weakness. And it is annoying to have to kill so many idiots."

She said that blankly with no hint of humor, but her eyes danced merrily. This dark sense of humor appealed to me. This woman was strong, not like the fainting flowers I had met previously, and I felt I could trust her in turn. So I gave her my word along with my name as surety. In retrospect, that was a bit too impulsive for my situation. It seemed to turn out fine, in the end, as she never betrayed me while it was still necessary to keep my anonymity.

We were simply friends at that point, and I treated her much as I would have treated a male friend. She did not seem to mind, and she kept up with me easily.

We would spend the morning training together. She worked under the same sensei as me, and we were at the level where the katas were a mere formality that we used to warm tup. Then we would usually duel. After which we would break off to eat in the mess hall with everyone else and then on to the archery range. She had the victory there as she had acquired much more skill on her travels than I. But she was a good teacher.

Our days were not spent completely enmeshed in our training. As I said before, she was the only one who could pull me away from my martial activities. On some days it was exploring the forest, on others an excursion on horseback up to the top of the mountain. Sometimes it was just a few miles from the temple, and we would sit and talk about everything and nothing.

She was just one year younger than I, but our experiences were nothing alike. It was fascinating for me to get that insight into the world of women. I had been raised primarily among boys and, beyond the slight glimpses of our guardian's daughters, I knew practically nothing of what women did with their lives.

I was, in her words, 'her young innocent' and she would lord that over me at times when we were playfully arguing about one thing or another.

I suppose she was not what one would call a normal woman, but after all, who wants normal when one meets extraordinary. I will not say she was not beautiful. It was just that I did not see that part of her as important when compared to her mind. And her mind was purely masculine, or at least that was what I thought at the time.

I never asked for her full name. I did not ask her who her family was or why she was here. I believed that if she believed I should know, then she would tell me. On that same note, she never asked her 'boy who says his name is Junichi' just what my connections were to merit such respect from the temple inhabitants.

_I thought I recognized the name Tomoe, was it not the female samurai who fought at the side of Minamoto Yoshinaka? Was she not the one who it was whispered, had married Yoshinaka and witnessed his death poem? I sensed a story in this connection. _

"That is an evil laugh" I remarked as I came up behind her in the hallways between the mess hall and the sleeping area. "What mischief are you plotting, I wonder. Does it perhaps have something to do with the missing hot sauce and the head abbot's plate?" I mused at the wall above her head.

She was in the midst of one of her various ploys to annoy the master. We had both taken a dislike to him, her dislike was simply expressed more obviously than mine. Of course he never knew who to blame for so many odd things happening to him. It surprised me sometimes just how fun she managed to make life. She was often serious, but never fell into the black moods that I sometimes sank into.

"How do you always see through my plans" she demanded.

"I read minds" I told her without blinking.

"I just bet you do."

She taught me how to play. It was a lesson I had never learned. My elder brother was too wrapped up in his studies to spend time frolicking. We had only talked, there were none of the outdoors roughousing that was normal for brothers, nor have I ever seen him indulge in something just for the fun of it. Noriyori, well at that point he was not very active. He was already beginning to develop signs of being the indulging delinquent that he later became as an adult.

It was on one of our exursions through the forest, in the last year we spent together there, that she told me her story.

"I was supposed to be a boy" she started. "My mother told me this as soon as I could understand the words. Everything had counted on me being male. Her hopes, her future and the family's standing. Alas it was not to be. When I appeared to the world as a wailing red thing, her words not mine, I was missing important pieces of equipment. In other words, a failure.

My family was not wealthy. We held rank, but it was not high enough to allow sufficient income, especially for such a large household. I was not the first effort for a male heir, in fact, my father was cursed with four previous girls, three of which had already died in the normal childhood illnesses. If one does not succeed at first, try and try again.

We lived on the outskirts of Kyoto and my sister and I were often sent to the markets there to try and find some food for the family. Of course my family had land and a small garden, but they were too proud to work in the field, and too poor to be able to afford the hiring of a servant, so it was generally left to us lesser daughters. A son would never have had to work so.


	11. Chapter 11

I was the last child of that marriage. Apparently I could see what life held for me and had decided not to leave my mother's womb without a fight. Ultimately I did sufficient damage that she never bore a child to term again. This of course, did not endear my parents to me.

My sister was two years older than me, and she truly believed this meant that she knew everything, no matter how many times I made her eat dirt. I was not a very feminine child. It was at thirteen that my family sent me out into the world. They already had one daughter and, without a son, what did they need with another girl child? It was not cruel. Cruel would be if I had been smothered at birth, which my mother often told me she wished she had done. No, this was practical.

I was something at a loss on what to do when I first set out for the horizon. I knew what I did not want to do, there was no chance I would become a kept women or some other failure of society, but what to do instead... I wandered on the brink of starvation for quite some time, subsisting on the scraps I could beg from strangers.

Apparently it finally became too much for me, I was told later that my half frozen body was found on the side of the road and taken in by one of the onna bugeisha, a travelling female samurai."

I looked confused at her words and she laughed.

"Oh my young innocent, didn't you know there were other female wielders of the sword?"

I glared at her, but couldn't stay mad. I was fascinated by her story.

"Well she took it upon herself to take care of me until I recovered, but she soon found herself caring for me with sisterly affection, and in the end, decided not to sent me off as soon as I regained my health.

It was at this point that I begged her to take me on as a pupil. I wanted to learn, I told her, learn how to protect myself and defend my honor.

She told me later that she saw herself mirrored in the defiance of my eyes.

Around that time, her lord was not interested in any territorial struggles, rather he focused on building up his domestic power base. So she was not called to duty for some time, and was able to train me at her leisure.

I soon surpassed her. I guess it is fate that the student will always surpass the teacher. Anyways, after a few days of my trouncing her, she finally told me that I was to good for the provinces and should make my way to the capital. This was not spoken with bitterness. By that time we had pledged ourselves as blood kin. I believe that she was proud of my accomplishments, as a good sister would feel."

Light was beginning to fade at that point, and we could see the light of the lanterns that the temple put out at dusk, glimmering through the gaps in the trees. The crickets began singing as we made our way back through the forest, and the fireflies flickered, tiny flashes of illumination against the shadows of the foliage.

The night brought a sudden chill to the air, and I pulled my shirt tighter around me, looking forward to the relative warmth of the enclosed rooms. I glanced over to make sure she was still with me. Often times her mischevious nature would make her wander off only to pop out from some hidden spot in an effort to surprise me. I told her she could get killed that way, but she merely scoffed.

This time, she was there in body, but her mind seemed to be on different things, as her eyes shone grey while she gazed off towards the shadows.

_His story reminded of an old friend. I had not thought of her for a very long time and she was shrouded in the cobwebs of unuse. _

_The first time I met her was when I was having one of the few brotherly arguments that we indulged in, and I was shunning my usual companions._

_What was the argument about you ask, eh it is not important. It was one of those small thinks that you laugh about later, if you can remember it at all. _

_I was settling in to the tree that I had designated as my own, for a long indulgement in furious anger and the willful increase of my ire, when the strangest visage popped up at the base of the tree._

_She looked up at me intently for a long time without saying anything. And just as I was about to interrupt her meditations, she poked me with a stick that she had picked up._

_I was so surprised that I almost fell off of my perch. Here was a strange girl, who I had never met before and couldn't possibly have harmed, poking me at random. _

_She was not a pretty creature. Her knees were stained with grass and her kimono was horribly dirty and ragged. I could barely see the geometrical pattern on it. Her hair was all over the place and her eyes were too big for her face. A stark contrast to the flower I would meet later, no?_

_I glared down at her, prepared to flatten her under my righteous anger and rank, but she merely giggled._

"_What are you doing in the tree?" she asked me. Obviously she had completely disregarded our different ranks. As the landowner's son I was far above what was obviously the offspring of a very poor peasant, but she continued to speak to me as if we were bosom friends. I was in a particularly eccentric mood, and I decided that this social innocence was refreshing._

_I most likely learned more from her than she did from my pretentious efforts to teach her etiquette. After I got over the discomfort of our first intoduction and came down from my perch, we treked out into the fields and she told me of the difference between this or that herb and which berries were edible versus poisonous. This knowledge is probably what kept me alive after my departure from the military._

_We met up for such exursions from time to time even after I made peace with my brothers. However I tried to keep such meetings hidden from them, as I was ashamed to be seen assosciating with a peasant, but I enjoyed her company enough not to completely cut off our meetings._

_I was about, oh six or seven, then. Too young to be affected by the scandal that, when I was older, would have attached itself to the news that I, a landlord's son, was wandering around empty fields with a young peasant girl. But at that age, it did not even process that her femininity made her any worse of a playmate. _

_We grew apart of course. As I gained years, I found my days were more than full with lessons in reading and writing, as well as more physical things. It had been about a month since I had seen her, and I decided to visit her on a whim. But she was long gone. Her family had left days ago for the territory two provinces away from us, where they apparently had relatives._

_I am sorry my boy. These sudden bursts of memory must seem like randomn tangents to you. But for an old man these streams of conscious are extremely logical. _

_Now, Yoshitsune was relating Tomoe's story..._

"She said that with the blithest tone. As if it was normal for perfect strangers to adopt you as kin, without some reason of their own. I was already something of a cynic at that point. But she continued."

"So there I was, a lone woman travelling along deserted roads with heavy packs full of provisions. The perfect prey. I must have been set upon by bandits at least every other day."

She laughed at the memory and I looked at her with something in between horror and amazement.

She held a mischievious glint in her eyes, as she looked up at me through her lashes.

"I gained something of a reputation after a while" she confided.

I was struck by how pretty she looked at that moment. She still wore her guise as a male, and the other residents remained convinced of her masculinity, but she had changed. It was the little details, that only I, who was with her more often than others, could have noticed. Her face was more angular and her cheeks softer and when her hands moved, they seemed daintier as they fluttered. She often talked with her hands making wide gestures to emphasize her words. I believe the monks though that she was merely unfortunate in her absence of body hairs. I suppose it was because they did not expect her to be female, that they did not see these things.

These moments when I saw her as an actual female, were startling for me, and I shook them off quickly. This was Tomoe, true she was female, but she wasn't a _girl_ in the derogatory sense that I was convinced all females were. She was the one who could nearly beat me with the sword. She was the one who taught me archery. And she was the one who could eat just as many berries and I and then get sick later. Certainly not one of those overly emotional weak figures that she told me about.

While I was having this inner argument with myself, she continued her tale.

"Yes. A reputation as a kind of lady of justice who would defeat any bandit who got in her way. Soon they stopped coming. Even the most arrogant of them feared to come up short against a girl" she giggled. "I was not yet wise enough in the ways of the world to think of disguising myself as a boy, or perhaps too proud.

The capital is what finally broke my delusions of the world" she continued in a darker, more serious tone. "I had previously lived in something of a protected bubble. My teacher had told me some things about the world, but I do not think they had fully processed, or at least, I did not believe that such things actually occurred in the real world. Such were my delusions.

I did not enter through the lower districts. As an unofficial samurai with a letter of introduction from my teacher, I entered through the middle districts and made my way to one of the government complexes to register my letter.

I was sneered at by many of the men there. It was unusual, though not unheard of, for a female to enter service as a warrior.

This was when the Minamoto clan were still a powerful adversary to the Taira, and held a place within the capital, before everything went down the way it did."

I stilled at the mention of my family name, watching her closely to make sure that she did not have some ulterior motive for mentioning this. I was a bit paranoid then, but rightly so.

She did not appear to notice as this was just a way to explain the situation she found herself in once she had arrived in Kyoto.

"It turned out that I was signed on as a lower ranking attendant for the Minamoto family. I had not yet proven myself to anyone who mattered, so they set me up in the training halls to see how I faired."

She shook her head at such foolishness, letting her hair fall out of what was supposed to be an orderly topknot. Her hair was her one foible. In all other ways she acted exactly like a man, but not in regards to her hair.

No matter how many times I would tease her about it, she would always scoff at me. When we were alone like this, she would often take it down and brush it. Then let it fall around her as she talked. One did not cut the hair or in any way dirty it. I learned this the hard way.

It was during one of our various duels that a strand of her hair was cut off, just shy of an inch. I would swear that her eyes flashed red.


	12. Chapter 12

I could hear our spectators laughing as she effectively chases me around the training field.

"I easily went through the ranks, it did not become challenging until I began to train with the officers. A sad state of affairs, when one lone woman can decimate the entire cavalry. There was definitely a move for reform after my arrival.

Finally I was appointed as a guard for the household of Yoshinaka no Minamoto."

I racked my memory for where this name fell on out family tree. He was not in our immediate family, I knew, but his name called some faint memory to me. Perhaps my brother had mentioned it in passing. Ahh well, it was not important...

Oh the innocence of youth" he snarled darkly. Throughout his narrative, his emotions had remained relatively stable, it was only now that clear rage could be seen in his expression.

His eyes burned fire and his mouth was tensed in a snarl as his fingers dug into the sleeve he was clutching at the moment. I felt myself flinching, even though I knew his ire was not directed at me.

I did not know just why that name incited such emotion. True, Yoshinaka was his opponent in the wars, but my understanding was that the reason for that conflict was due to Yoritomo. I did not know that Yoshitsune had any reason to wish him dead.

I mumbled some excuse and left him to stew in his memories as I escaped to the fresh air outside our cave."

_It is full winter now, and the outside world is blanketed in snow. The trees stand stark against the white, like twisted shadows, there blossoms long gone. Our family is huddled around the small fire we can convince to burn inside. There is little time for reminescing now, Kage. Too many young innocents with too large ears, ne?_

"_Grandpapa" Sora calls, her teeth chattering in the cold as she leaves her nest of blankets to tug on my sleeve, "tell Sora a story?"_

_She pulls her bundle of covers and sticks her toes under my legs. They are already freezing from the small journey from her cot to mine. _

"_Little kitsune, your paws are like ice? I tell her, pretending to be somewhat disgruntled._

_She giggles at me and repeats her plea._

"_And what story do you wish to hear? Perhaps a tale of wars and slashing swords to lull you off to sleep?" I muse._

"_No grandpapa, Sora does not like stupid wars. Sora wants the bamboo princess."_

" _Stupid wars indeed" I smile. "Haven't you gotten enough of the bamboo princess yet? I have told it to you at least five times in the last month."_

_She grins cheekily at me and shakes her head. Little imp._

"_Fine then." I waited a few moments, just to tease her._

"_This is a story of a beautiful princess, but it is also the story of a bamboo, a plant so special that it was thought to be loved by the moon, and thus sacred._

"_Once upon a time, there was a kind old man and an old woman..." she chanted the beginning along with me._

"_He worked all day in the forest as a bamboo cutter, and she spent her days in the market begging for scraps of food to put on the table for her husband and her dinner. They were very poor, but they did not become bitter over this as so many others in their situation do, instead they remained kind and generous. When the small children from the next field, who were even worse off as they were without parents, came to their door, they would give them the scraps they had gathered that day, even if it meant they went hungry that night._

_The children loved them, and they were happy to have so many children around. But once night fell and the children left for their own beds, small though they were, the old couple felt the loneliness even more. And so, despite their poverty, the old man and the old woman wished for a child to brighten their days."_

"_Quite irresponsible of them" my daughter muttered off to the side. _

_I scowled at her, "Hush woman, you are interrupting my story."_

"_Don't make me tell cook to add the green onions to your soup again" she threatened. It was a legitimate ultimatum and I subsided. Such horrible things, green onions. Slimy little pieces that completely ruined a good bowl of noodles._

_I shuddered at the thought._

"_The old couple prayed and prayed for a child. They knew they were too old to concieve, but they hoped some small child would be found who they could adopt and love, and who would care for them in their old age._

_Not that you children seem to be doing much caring for me. Instead you manage to give me a new white hair every day" I grumbled at them._

"_Really?" Sora cried with bright eyed curiosity, "can I see today's?"_

_I shooed her off and continued._

"_One evening, the old man was working later than usual and the moon had risen high enough to be seen above the tallest bamboo shoots. The old man was just getting ready to call it a night and go home to his wife, when a gleam caught his eye._

_He walked further and further in and yet always the light appeared to be in the next glen, or around the next corner. Finally, about an hour had passed, and he had walked quite far, when he came across the source of the light._

_It was a single bamboo tree that was glowing. At first he thought it was merely a trick of the light, and was disgusted at himself for walking so far for an illusion. But then the light pulsed, and he took a closer look. On coming closer, he could tell that the light was not only coming from above, but also from within the stalk of the bamboo tree._

_Carefully, oh so carefully, he cut through the bamboo stalk, just above where the light was shining from._

_Once the final cut was made, the top of the stalk tumbled off and to his surprise, there was a small child resting in the hollow part of the base. She was a beautiful child, with pale skin that seemed to glow, and midnight hair with lips the color of cherry blossoms after the rain. In her tiny hands, she held a small sphere, the source of the glow, and when he looked in it, the pearly color seemed to swirl around each other._

_Her clothing, and the blankets surrounding her, were colored in different shades of blue and silver. They were made of the finest sil, so smooth that they seemed to glide past the old man's hands when he lifted them up. Such a child should not be left alone in the woods._

_Before he left, though, he knelt down and thanked the kamis for granting this child into his care, for obviously she was not a child of this earth._

_As he was kneeling on the cold ground, the sphere pulsed once again, and the moonlight shone even brighter. Then, suddenly, there was a tall figure standing in front of the kneeling old man._

_He was tall and very handsome, but not in a human way. His features were too angular for such a similarity. He was clothed in the whitest of silks, and his hair was silver. So silver, that it seemed to shimmer in the light with hints of blue intermingled._

_He looked down at the old man, and his eyes seemed to soften for a moment. _

_The old man thought that his eyes were bluer than the ocean and the sea put together. He was drowning._

"_This is our daughter." He said in a deep baritone that echoed amongst the bamboo trees. "We have entrusted you with her care, as we have seen that you are worthy." His face tightened for a moment._

"_This separation was not of our choosing" he reminded the old man, "but you are our best option. Remember, we will come for her when we can. When she is seventeen years old, she must return to us."_

_Before those final words had finished echoing, he was already fading._

_The small sphere within the child's hands had disappeared, and in its place was a bag full of gold coins._

_This evidence of the kami's powers frightened the old man, but he was undeterred. He would care for this beautiful child as if she were his own._

_ When he finally stumbled through his front door, his wife had been worrying about him for hours._

"_Where have you been, old husband?" she asked as she helped him take his pack from his shoulders. But this movement revealed the bundle in his arms, and before he could answer her, she demanded to know what he had been up to._

_He told her what had occurred in that lone bamboo glen, and she nodded to herself._

"_It is obvious, husband, that there is some kind of conflict going on between the kami, and her parents decided she would be safer outside of the otherworld."_

_He nodded in agreement, and showed her the bag of coins. This would help them feed and clother their child, as they were already beginning to think of her, and ensure that she was raised with the right education and society._

"_What should we call her, old wife?" the old man asked after gazing at the sleeping babe for a few moments._

"_Hmm... We shall call her, Kaguya" and that was what she was called from that day on._

_Sixteen years passed quickly by, and the moon princess grew more and more beautiful each day. Soon men from all over the country came to see her beauty and to sigh, for, to them, she seemed unattainable, and far beyond such dirty men of the fields as they were._

_At the same time, the old man and woman never seemed to age a day, and people often looked upon them and called it a gift of the kami._

_One day, a travelling merchant came to see the wonder of the moon princess' beauty, that the whole province was talking of. He too sighed when he saw her. And when he left, he carried tales of her ethereal beauty far and wide, so far that such tales finally came to the ears of the imperial court._

_Hearing of her beauty and her grace, many would-be suitors set out from the capital to see her and woo her. And once they arrived, her appearance surpassed even their jaded imaginations, and most immediately proposed. So many came, that the town was soon prosperous from their trade. The old man and his wife were showered with gifts in an effort to influence the moon princess' choice. None prevailed._

_The moon princess wept bitter tears once she was alone, at such an interruption in her life._

_The old man and his wife knew that they were getting on in years, and they had forgotten the promise of their child's true father. They wanted her to be safe and comfortable when they departed this world for the next, so they tried to pressure her to make some choice from among the many. They only wanted the best for her, but this increased her unhappiness._

_Things continued in a similar manner for the next year, the moon princess continuously growing more ethereal to the point that she glowed and she began to resemble her true father to a greater extent. The suitors kept coming, and she kept refuting them, but in such a sweet and innocent manner that none could find anger in their rejection. Instead they decided that they were too mortal for her or that she was too shy._


	13. Chapter 13

_On the night of her birth, exactly seventeen years after the old man had found her sleeping amongst the bamboo trees, there was a full moon._

_All were sleeping peacefully, content in their dreams, except for one. The moon princess stepped out the door of her family's house and into the night. She walked as if she did not know where she was, as if she was still half asleep with her eyes open._

_As her gown trailed behind her, it knocked over a small vase that had been a gift from one of her suitors. At the noise, the old man woke up with a start. He looked around for a moment, to see what had awakened him and he noticed his daughter's absence. He opened the door to call her back inside, but what he saw caused memories to flood back to him. Memories of a night seventeen years ago._

_In the clearing before his house, the moonlight shone bright and silhouetted two figures. It was his beautiful daughter, and her bright father._

_The moon god looked back at the old man, and he could see his deep blue eyes clearly, despite the distance._

_The one that had been a daughter to him, raised her hand in farewell, then, with a last sigh, they were gone._

_Now Sora, this is the fifth time I have told this tale, and I am all run out until at least another two months. Next time, you have to tell it" I laughed at her._

"_But grandpapa, you tell it so much better" she whined._

"_Now my dear, flattery will get you no where" I tweaked her nose._

_She scowled and went off in a huff back to her own sleeping mats. We all settled down to listen to the silence of the snow falling._

_Then, young Kage began to sing a soft song. So soft, that at first none of us realised that he was singing. I wonder where you learned such a song. Which life are you singing from behind the screen?_

_The plum blossoms_

_that I thought I would show to my love_

_cannot be distinguished now _

_from the falling snow_

_The silence falls once more._

_You do come up with the oddest things, don't you boy._

_We settled down to sleep. The weather kept us indoors and without much activity for another week. By that point we were all going a little crazy, and as soon as the snow allowed it, all the children piled outside._

_Except you of course, You were never much for tumbling around in cold, wet substances, were you Kage?_

_Do not snort at me so in such an inelegant manner. I am still your elder, no matter what it may seem to you._

_Now where did I leave off... training... Tomoe's hair, no... female samurai... ah yes, Yoshinaka and escaping outside._

_Yes I stayed outside for a while, just breathing in the clear night air. Finally he stepped out beside me._

"_Forgive my outburst" he told me, not as a question, but more of a demand._

_It has been some time since I have brought these things back into my mind, and I find that I do not have the forbearance I once had."_

_I could tell it was like pulling teeth to get him to say that, so I said nothing._

_We both went back to the fire, our feet beginning to numb from the cold night. He continued with Tomoe's tale._

"I saw many things as a guard. Many nights spent on patrol leads to the discovery of such things that are best done under the cover of darkness.

I saw money exchange hands where no dept was due, at least not in official circles, and eyes behing turned away to let small things pass. I saw strange men sneaking into rooms where I knew a lone wife lay, and I saw other women, with desperate and angry eyes walk down the streets. I saw children begging for small scraps, and when their pleas were not heeded, I saw those same children dying in gutters, only to have their corpses kicked aside come morning.

Suddenly the world was much darker.

A year passed and I suddenly found myself the center of attention of a dissolute group of young men, the kind of men I often saw meeting up with the women with desperate eyes. The kind of men I would not want to meet without my sword and badge of office in plain site. Unfortunately for me, these small protections only worked against the first group.

I suppose you could say I upgraded" she laughed bitterly, "a couple of young courtiers noticed the rabble at the gates and chased them off, only for them to turn their attention on me. I was left in the same situation as before, only my oppressors were better dressed.

I quickly saw that I would find no help from my fellow guards, they all felt it was my due as a woman and were eager to be rid of me and have my male replacement.

One of the courtiers was particularly persistent, he was also my least favourite. Not that I liked any of them at all, but he felt greasy somehow, as if he was an oily substance that stained all who touched. I did not trust him further than I could throw him.

Strangely enough, he was perhaps the most, I guess you would call it polite. He never referred to me in the derogatory terms that the others did, rather he added the respectful -san suffix to my name. He never made lewd jokes or innuendos in my presence, but merely asked how my day was. But there was something about his eyes. They were smaller than most, but they held a look of malicious cunning and greed, especially when he watched me when he thought I was not looking. And, I recognized him as one who kicked aside those children's bodies with the most force and with a gleeful expression on his face, as if he found pleasure in their deaths.

In one way he was lacking in manners, he did not tell me his name. I had no interest in knowing it, my only interest was keeping him far away, but I found the contrast with his overall polite mannerism strange and ominous. Just who was he, and why did he apparently merit such deference?

All of the other young men seemed to tiptoe around him and backed off when he approached me directly. They never mocked him for his manners and they never pushed at him like they did each other, jostling around me in a rough crowd.

It was the second week of the third month, when I found out his name. It was Yoshinaka himself. He often took to disguising himself as a regular courtier and go out with other young men his age to pick up women. Unfortunately he had chosen me as his next prize.

I received the call that night. It was not a request, it was a demand. That was the night I left the capital.

I had yet to take my oath of loyalty to the clan, so my honor is still intact, but I would not stay and allow my virtue to pay the price for my honor. Perhaps I am archaic, but I do not believe that this was a sacrifice that any lord could demand.

And I ran to the furthest, most isolated temple I could find. So here I am" she finished with a slight flourish.

I was silent for a few minutes, internally debating whether or not to tell her my story. She had trusted me, but could I reveal it to her after all she had said of the Minamoto family. I would also be revealing secrets beyond my own. My brothers desire for vengeance, for one. I did not know how far her anger at our family stretched, nor her feelings regarding her loyalty to the emperor.

I did not tell her anything that day, but sought to distract her with another challenge. To this day, I do not know whether or not she realized I debated telling her my secrets then.

What ever her knowledge was then, our relationship began to change after that day.

I still practiced with her and we continued to trek unhindered around the mountain, our days did not change drastically because of my epiphany. But I suddenly realised that she was a woman.

No, don't look at me that way" he smiled, "I did not suddenly begin hounding after her like a dog in heat, nor did I go any easier on her during our duels, it was just that, some instances I had a flash of her femininity. Some rare spark in awareness that made me stop and think. Often such pauses happened while I was in the midst of doing something else, causing many of the monks to question whether or not I had been posessed. There was not any real cause to these flashes, she did not do anything drastically different. There was no batting of eyelashes or glimpses of her figure that I found out later that ladies used to create such an awareness, no, she continued as normal.

I laugh at myself now for my strange behaviour.

It came to the point where I began to avoid extended contact with her. The feelings confused me and made me uncomfortable, and I began to shy away from her.

I would often go off on my own to wander the temple or climb one of the tall pines in the forest and sit for hours, just thinking.

I suppose this moonstruck attitude convinced the monks in charge of me, that I was truly posessed. One day I came back to my rooms, late as usual, to the empty silence of the main house. This was unusual, as they were usually chanting Buddha's name around this time, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose up in alarm. Before I could move to draw my sword, I felt a strong knock on the back of my head and all went dark.

When I woke, I was not where I had been before. It took a moment for me to regain my bearings, but I soon realised that I was on my back, in the shrine room, with small pieces of paper plastered to various parts of my body and a constant hum of voices reciting prayers as their prayer beads clanked together.

I looked up at the man sitting next to my head. I was not amused.

"Praise Buddha," he murmured. "The evil kami has been expunged."

I rolled my eyesinternally, this was going to have serious repercussions on my faith in the religion, were my first thoughts.

I got up and began to peel off ofudas. Bowing and thanking the gathered monks somewhat sarcastically, I made my exit.

It was after this instant that I began to notice Tomoe's eyes. I had noted them before, but only now did I suffer from their clear grey gaze.

Sometimes I would catch her watching me out of the corner of my eye. She held an odd expression, a mix between bemusement and the knowing smirk of the huntress in sight of her prey. It took me a long time to realize that I was prey.

I know, a bit dim of me, ne?

Tension built between us, I could feel it flickering across my skin. When our hands touched in those rare moments of contact, I could practically feel the sparks dancing between us.

These personal concerns did not mean I was unaware of the goings on of the outside world. I continued to receive what news I could and to watch the political environment. I knew that my previous escape from Taira vengeance had been some foible of fate, and that I was no longer the child who could hide behind some woman's skirts. In the same way I knew that the Taira would not have forgotten my brother and I.

It was in the latest letter from my brother that I received word of what he had planned. His writing had gradually become less and less condescengingly affectionate, as if he realized that I had grown and could no longer be the little boy who used to cling to his pantleg and beg for stories. Now I would have exchanged my small toy sword for a real blade. One that could, and would, kill.

This realization came a couple years late, in my mind.


	14. Chapter 14

His letters now contained much more actual news and the contents of his mind now. Apparently with my maturity I had also gained his recognition as a sentient being who could be spoken to with reason and trust, rather than the blithe affection and cloistered feeling of before.

I lose track of my words..." he muttered. "It was in that letter, that my brother finally revealed his plans. Yes, he had married Hojo Masako, but it was not for the supposed passion and love that was said to have influenced their bond. No, their marriage was purely a strategic ploy on both their parts. He would gain the backing and power of the Hojo clan in his quest for revenge, and she, as well as her father, would gain an ally to realize their resentment of the Taira in a more corporeal form. In addition, their ties to the Minamoto clan gave them a kind of justification for any rebellion on their part. Thus, no one could claim that their actions were based on a desire for personal gain. Rather, they would be lauded for seeking to avenge their new son in law.

I smiled at this ploy. My brother was always one to find the advantage in every situation. He did not speak of specifics, as it was possible this letter could have fallen in the wrong hands. His desires and the Hojo resentment were already well known and could have done no further damage if known.

I wrote him a congradulatory letter which I did not expect him to reply to or even recognize that I had sent. Nor did I include any mention of my consternation towards Tomoe, only impartial pleasantries. That was her secret, and we were long past the time where I would go to my brother for comfort and advice.

You look at me strangely now.

Yes our estrangement goes further back and was normal for our situation. We had been apart for many years now, and no matter how close we had been, I do not think it is likely that we would have remained so, even if we had continued to live together.

Not that I think this excuses his later behavior" he scowled. "No, even if we were not as close, he still should have trusted his kin. Especially if said kin had never before betrayed him." His brow furrowed in thought, and then cleared as his complacent mask fell back into place.

_I speak of him as if he was constantly serious, with a heart cold as ice, but this is the wrong perception. He had taken care of me so he obviously could feel mercy and his eyes would often soften when he was caught in a good memory. But what I felt made the biggest contrast with his seriousness, was his laughter._

_Sometimes, when I said some small thing that amused him, or one of my stories caught his fancy, his laughter would roll out from him and echoe around the small cave. It was a deep laugh and a hearty one, as if once he finally let go and put down his guard, he dove into his happiness with abandon. The freedom of his laugh caught at me._

_Knowing his history, it came as something of a surprise that he could laugh so and revel in the moment with such freedom._

These thoughts often left me morose and angry at the world. Here was a man, just fifteen or so years older than I, who had so much to live for and to enjoy, and yet his life was already over.

Not that I think this excuses his later behavior" he scowled. "No, even if we were not as close, he still should have trusted his kin. Especially if said kin had never before betrayed him." His brow furrowed in thought, and then cleared as his complacent mask fell back into place.

_I speak of him as if he was constantly serious, with a heart cold as ice, but this is the wrong perception. He had taken care of me so he obviously could feel mercy and his eyes would often soften when he was caught in a good memory. But what I felt made the biggest contrast with his seriousness, was his laughter._

_Sometimes, when I said some small thing that amused him, or one of my stories caught his fancy, his laughter would roll out from him and echoe around the small cave. It was a deep laugh and a hearty one, as if once he finally let go and put down his guard, he dove into his happiness with abandon. The freedom of his laugh caught at me._

_Knowing his history, it came as something of a surprise that he could laugh so and revel in the moment with such freedom._

_These thoughts often left me morose and angry at the world. Here was a man, just fifteen or so years older than I, who had so much to live for and to enjoy, and yet his life was already over._

_ Yes, well, such is life._

"But getting back to Tomoe..." he continued.

"Things finally came to a head in spring. Most things happen in spring, I think.

She surprised me. I don't know why, I had gotten used to her strange shifts in mood and sudden confidences. She was what you would call eccentric, always shifting who she was, never stable. She was like a wild mixture of colors, an untamed thing never content with just being.

I suppose she finally got fed up with our dancing around each other on tiptoes.

It was on another of our long walks."

"_Don't pull that face at me Kage. Someday you will appreciate just how fortuitous long walks can be."_

"And I was indulging in staring discreetly at her profile. With her lifted chin, full lips and long eyelashes, I remember thinking off handedly that she was quite pretty.

Her eyes slanted over to mine and I tried to hide my gaze, but her eyes glinted mischeviously. She grabbed the front of my shirt, and before I could react, thinking this was some new sport where I was to battle her, she pulled me down to her lips.

'Soft,' was my first thought. My second was most likely along the lines of 'kami, what the hell is she doing?' I believe I froze as she danced out of reach.

She told me later that I had an expression much like a deer caught in the eyes of a larger, deadlier predator.

I remember how she looked then. Her hair trailing behind her as she ran ahead, her laughter catching my ears as I gave chase, not exactly sure what I meant to do when I caught her. Our footsteps were silenced by the soft carpeting of petals on the floor of the forest. Many blossoms were still falling from the branches, drifting along on the slight currents of the wind. Time stood still as I ran through the rivulets of its presence. Everything of that moment remains in my mind with such clarity.

When we finally ran out of breath, w were both laughing and she had leaves in her pristine hair.

She leaned against a tree trunk out of breath, and I watched her gasp through her laughs. Deciding between my doubts, I reached over and pulled a blossom from her hair and taunted her with it.

"What a sad state of disarray we find ourselves in" I stated with mock solemnity. She smirked up at me.

"Indeed, such a travesty." She kissed my cheek, brushing her lips against my ear to whisper "well now, it is your move Junichi-kun." Her breath tickled my ear and she laughed.

I decided that there had been enough time spent as the young victim to her whims. If that was how she wanted to play, I'd show her the meaning of playing with fire.

I leaned back and took a good look at her, wide grey eyes stared back at me framed in long black lashes. She was not afraid, I could tell. And her whole bearing excuded confidence.

So, I decided to take a chance. I trusted her, more than I would have trusted her if she was related to me, I suppose. After all, I could choose to like her, if she was a sister, I would have little choice but to include her.

"Junichi?" she queried at my long silence. I could feel her shoulders beginning to droop a little at my lack of response.

I stepped back a little to give myself some room in case she did not respond to my words well. I gave her a small smile to reassure her.

"I think" I told her, "that you should know something."

She interrupted me before I could continue.

"Please don't tell me you are one of those men who are so close to the kami that you have decided to prefer those of the same gender" she stated. "Because that would put a very odd tint to our relationship."

I laughed at this, and she relaxed.

"No. Nothing like that" I reassured her. I paused to clear my throat, trying to buy time.

"Junichi..." she started with some hesitation, reaching out a hand to lay on my arm. Then she smiled. It was blinding in its beauty, so calm and reassuring as if telling me that I could trust her. I have never seen that kind of smile anywhere else, and I treasure it.

I let out a breath.

"That's it actually... My name is not Junichi."

Her face took on a more serious expression, and she beckoned me to sit as she knelt down at the base of the tree she had been resting against.

"It's Yoshitsune... Minamoto Yoshitsune."

Her expression froze and then gradually relaxed into a kind of dazed wariness.

"Yoshitsune no Minamoto" she murmured "second son to Yoshitomo no Minamoto and cousin to Yoshinaka no Minamoto. Thought to be hiding somewhere in the mountains." She sat silent for a few minutes then she exploded. "I cannot believe I missed that. It is so obvious!"

Fortunately, it seemed she was not mad at me, but rather herself. Women were strange.

She then turned on me and I swear I did not flinch, no matter what she claims.

"Tell me everything" she demanded. There was a feverish glint in her eyes.

I found that she held an intense interest for the going ons of the world. She told me it was good to be aware so as to better protect oneself from any possible situation. Knowing the ins and outs of Minamoto politics could only benefit her in keeping clear of Minamoto Yoshinaka. This kind of crazed focus made me wonder if she had censored her account of what went on between my cousin and her on those dark nights with no one to protect her.

Of course I told her everything, including the location of Yoshinaka, much to my shame. It seemed a small thing at the time, but it had lasting repercussions.

Yoshinaka was no longer in the capital. I had received news from a travelling merchant friendly to our cause, that he had made himself scarce, fearing that Taira vengeance would extend to the larger clan and not just the Seiwa Genji. He had holed himself up in one of the smaller territories under the Hojo jurisdiction and was proceeding to ingratiate himself to my brother.

I had never met him, but from what I heard from Tomoe, I had already decided that I did not like him. He sounded like the kind of man who would stab you in the back without a thought.

"_An astute observation" I stated._

"_Hnn" he answered noncommitedly, obviously trying to keep his expression blank._


	15. Chapter 15

I told her everything. What need to keep anything back after she had accepted the only hurdle that I could perceive?

I told her of the death of our parents and how I could not remember the face of my mother. I told her of how my brother had told me stories and how his face would tighten at the mention of the Taira. I told her of my toy sword and the old blacksmith. And I told her of that dark night when the asassins had come. I told her I was lonely.

These were things I had never admitted to anyone, not even myself. But it felt good to have someone to confide in. Like she would never judge me and I was free to be me, not some scion of a noble family who was fated to seek vengeance.

By the time I finished my life's story dark had fallen into that deep state where the world seems lost except for the light of the moon.

We had relaxed against the tree as we talked, my back against the trunk and my torsoe acting as a cushion for her body. With our new understanding, we were at peace with each other. The tension had dissapated, and now our fingers were entwined with each other as we explored the callouses on each other's hands. Hands so used to the sword that they were familiar and diffferent to each.

"Oh, could I hold this night forever" she murmured sleepily.

"_Alas it could not be so" he murmured to himself. Our conversation had effectively ended for the night as I would not pull him from whatever fond reverie he was in at the moment._

"_Grandfather" Kage stated, "was not this the woman who eventually marries Yoshinaka?"_

"_Yes" I sigh. I remember how fate pulled these to souls apart so drastically, and it still pains me, rips at my strands of thought and consciousness viciously._

"_Yes she was."_

_We sat in silence for many moments, both considering the ramifications. _

_Then Kage snorted, "no wonder he kicked his ass."_

_I gaped at him and he scowled._

"_What just because I act mature most of the time doesn't mean I can't swear. I hear mother swearing like a sailor when she thinks none of us children around. After enough times you start picking things up."_

_I roared with laughter. The sound brought the others running, I suppose it was a startling enough sound._

"_What happened grandpapa?" Sora demanded. She was tall enough now to reach my elbow, and she proceeded to pull on my shirt sleeve._

_I grinned down at her._

"_Oh nothing my dear. Your brother just said something exceedingly funny."_

_She screwed up her nose in confusion._

"_But Kage is never funny" she said innocently, "he's so old."_

_I looked to see his response to this comment. He was scowling at her fiercely._

"_Old" he muttered darkly. "I'll show you old."_

_I could tell he was amused though. His eyes were not quite as cold as one would assume that they should be based on his expression._

_Sora laughed blithely and danced out of the room._

"_I want a story later grandpapa" she called back to me._

_A story a story, it's all the next generation seems to want these days. Well I cannot say that I did not want stories when I was younger._

"Yes, I too would wish such nights would last forever and a day. We tried. We put every moment that we could into spending time in each others company beyond the scrutiny of the old monks.

Our training continued as normal, she could still fight me to a standstill and complete exhaustion, but now it was less about platonic competition and more of a dance. When our blades crossed, it was not fierce determination in our eyes, but rather a mischevious affection and laughter between us. The passion of battle often got the best of us and we were hard pressed to hide our emotions. After training we would run off to the woods for some privacy, telling the monks that we wanted to be rid of the sweat of battle. There was no intimacy beyond a kind of playful frolicking, we respected each other too much to start off a relationship as such. This was most likely what saved her later on.

"Yoshitsune" she called to me, "are you dreaming again?"

I had been watching her as she combed her hair once more. I was trying to picture her in female clothing, but it was too strange and I couldn't do it. To me she simply fit and it was right for her to be wearing male clothing.

She asked me something then, and I had to ask her to repeat it as it served only to shake me from my reverie.

"Do you think about death sometimes?"

I could see this was going to be one of our serious conversations. We had those sometimes even though much of our conversation was made up of light bantering and flirting.

"Not often" I replied. "I suppose it must happen and, while I do not seek it, I have accepted that it will come when my time is right."

She sighed and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"When I die" she whispered softly, "I want it to be on a night like this.

_I wish to die_

_in spring beneath _

_the cherry blossoms_

_while the springtime moon _

_is full."_

A chill ran up my spine at those words, and I did not answer. Instead I lowered my head to kiss her as I held her close. I could not bear thoughts of losing her.

I wonder now if she was already planning her path through life.

Those words would echo in my mind, haunting me when we were separated.

It was not soon after this discussion that I received yet another letter from my brother. But this time it was not a social nicety. It was, in effect, a call to arms.

It would seem that he had decided to answer Prince Mochihito's call. The young prince, naïve of politics, blatantly called for the mobilization of troops to come to and expulge the Taira from the capital. He wrote this while still under their eye.

This was a response to a series of indignities. The final straw was when, in his arrogance, Kiyomari no Taira had placed his one year old grandson on the throne as the Emperor Antoku. This was more than could be borne.

Our clan was the first to answer, but it was not my brother who led the charge. He was content to wait and watch, using the time he had to build up his forces and strengthen his power base. This tactic would serve him well later on.

It was Minamoto Yorimasa, yet another distant cousin of ours, who first answered Mochihito's call, and together they marched towards Kyoto. They were defeated and executed, but this first battle marked the beginning of what would be called the Gempei Wars.

Do you ever get that feeling, where you just know that this moment will be remembered distinctly for the rest of your life. That was how I felt when I opened that letter. The air stilled and the faint sounds suddenly became louder. The hum of the flies against the screens, the chanting drone of the monks at meditation. I remember exactly what I was wearing that day. It was an old blue shirt with a hole exactly at the collar, bigh enough to stick my thumb through. It was my favorite shirt and I wore it whenever I could get away with it. Contrary to this detailed memory, I do not remember the exact words the messenger said, nor do I recall what words I used in reply.

Suddenly things began to move faster. Everything before had flowed by at a standstill, now the events were flashing past at lightning speed. It was all something of a blur.

Our peaceful days of loitering around the mountain discovering each other once more and familiarizing each other with tactile intimacy, were over.

I was running around frantically trying to get everything done that I thought I needed to. Praying desperately to Buddha, thanking the monks and spending a couple hours each day going through my sword forms once more. Packing was frantic and useless. I had gathered many little things that, while holding sentimental value, held little practical use to me. So I had to go through my rooms figuring this out while trying to limit my luggage to a small bag of essentials.

Although my brother clearly did not intend to make any obvious move for quite a while, letting the Taira exhaust themselves fighting others, I needed to be there. If not for any formal reason beyond support.

I was foolish then, never having experienced true conflict, I looked forward to my first battle. My first blooding."

_That was when I knew for sure that he had been the stranger who had reassured me after my embarassment of scant years previous. I had begun to believe that he might be him. His voice was similar, and sometimes when I caught a glimpse of his silhouette I felt a sense of deja vu, but this was actual proof. The term 'blooding' was not the term generally used for a man's first awakening to the world, it was unique to disgust in his voice when he said it, was also the same._

"I fear I was somewhat abrupt in my treatment of Tomoe at the time. She was not excited for me, not in the least. She was perhaps more learned in the ways of the world, more wise. She knew the reality of what this would mean for me. It was not all dreams of glory and honor, it meant death and destruction as well. I would not listen.

We had our first true argument over this. I accused her of being jealous of my good fortune and afraid to fight for herself. I deserved the pounding she gave me for that, not that I admitted it then.

We did not speak for a week, until finally, after cooling down and nursing my wounds, I apologised. I missed her too much. I did not realise until after I was gone, that I would miss her still more when we were no longer with each other.

I had spent some ten years at the temple on Mount Kiyomari when I finally departed.

The monks held a feast to send me off. It was full of laughter and alcohol. They insisted on telling me stories of my misadventures. Though I begged off they demanded a speech. It was some small drivel that I do not remember. Doubtless it was full of masculine self aggrandizement.

Tomoe and I had a private farewell. It was the only time I ever saw her cry.

I set off early that morning. The spring was just beginning to fade nto autumn, and their was a sharp bite to the wind blowing through the treetops. I waved farewell to the line of monks who had woken to see me off. I did not see Tomoe.

I was somewhat depressed at her absence and I continued on in a morose mood. It was only after I had passed the curve in the road and could no longer be seen from the temple, that I saw her. She had let her hair down to blow in the wind, like some kind of banner. I had a strand of her hair wrapped around my finger as a way of remembering her. If she ever discovered that I had cut a strand off while she was sleeping, she would no doubt kill me.

I did not see her again for a very long time.

After a fortnight of journeying by night I arrived at my brother's camp. It was well fortified, as the Taira had no doubt continued to scour the countryside for him, and it was bustling with activity.

He made a grand show of welcoming me. He came up and embraced me, telling all that this was his younger brother who he had been separate from for too long. He decided to call for a celebration. Now I had been on the road for longer than I preferred to be, and was looking forward to the sleep that a comfortable bed promised. This celebration was not welcome in my mind, but I realised the political possibilties of such an event and resigned myself to a long day. At least with this I could begin to familiarixe myself with the important movers and shakers that would be there. And I could begin to make my own connections with them. I knew better than to allow myself to become completely dependent on my brother, years apart had taught me well.

I lost my favorite shirt with the hole in the collar that night. The servants decided that it was not suitable and had it thrown out in favor of an overly embroidered green silk robe. I hated that robe.

This was not the brother I had known. I knew this would be so, but it was still something of a shock. There was no affection left in his eyes. They were cold and bitter, I could tell it had been a long time since he had laughed, and the lines on his voice, so early to develop, were not from laughter but from scowling.

I met his wife that night. She was a tiny thing, I suppose you could call her beautiful in the the traditional way. Her hands were small and they fluttered around in a becoming way. But I did not like her. She seemed to sharp to me. Her eyes glittered hungrily and her face would pinch when she disapproved of something. Frankly, she reminded me of a rat, even before I knew her better.

There were many beautiful women there, the wives or retinue of the lords involved, but I compared them all to Tomoe and found them lacking. I am sure I was not the most charismatic of bachelors.

Soft silks in vibrant colors, pale faces stark against dark lips and long hair. I remember thinking that none of these ladies' tresses could compare with hers. I suppose I was biased.

The music was too loud. It pounded against my skull as I drank more tea than was good for me in an effort to stave off the sleep that was threatening. Finally the lights began to burn low and people began to wander off. As the guest of honor, I could not depart until all had gone.

Such ceremony for an exiled provincial lord.

_His narrative was put on hold for a month. It was his turn to fall prey to the elements and catch sick. I knew he had stayed through the height of my contagion. In a time where sickness was feared as a premature path to death and spiritual pollution, this was surprising. However, despite this, I was surprised when he began to display symptoms. He always seemed such a pillar of strength that such a small thing as human disease did not appear as if it could touch him. He was infallible to me._

_He often spent the rainy days practicing out on the small ledge of rock just outide of the cave, using the slipperiness to challenge him to leap from obstacle to obstacle in his shadow duel. He was generally soaked through when he returned, but I could tell that he was exhilerated and relatively happy. Rare moments of freedom from his memories._

_Our roles were easily reversed as I nursed him through his infirmity._


	16. Chapter 16

_I was now the one who lay the cloth against his feverish forehead. It brought us closer, seeing him vulnerable led me to realise that yes he was human too._

_Well all things come to an end, and he soon recovered and went back to his tired depression. This, I could see, was not something that he would ever be cured of. The loss went too deep._

"The early days after my renewed contact with my brother were full of such ceremonies and, to me who was used to a more active lifestyle and the freedom to depart and return at will, this seemed confining. I also felt as if we were wasting precious time.

When I could I would often escape to the nearby country for long rides or just to go amongst the peasantry incognito. They were more real in my mind than the painted faces of our form of masks all hid an ulterior motive and all sought their own gain no matter their protestations of loyalty.

I was depressed and I felt the absence of my constant companion hard, this emphasized the tension I felt from being forced to dress up and play courtier. I needed to do something, anything. I think my brother eventually realised this as he finally sent me out on an obscure scouting mission. Doubtless this was important to maintain our secretary, but anyone could have done it. I did not feel that this was a redundant chore, however. It felt like freedom, like the bars of a golden cage had finally been lifted.

I was sent on my new mission with a group of several other young men, all from different clans. The thought chanced upon me that perhaps my brother hoped we would kill each other, but I disregarded it as too much time spent alone with my thoughts. Fortunate for me that the other young men were not of the kind to desire to prove their manhood through conflict. They were thoughtfull scholars and we spent our time disgussing the values of various philosophers and debating different types of warfare strategies. We did not disguss our lives, such personal matters would have made us all umcomfortable. At the end of the day, while I had not made bosom friends, we had settled on a fairly amiable comradeship.

It was after that day that I began to petition my brother to allow me to go out amongst the soldiers and officers more. I was willing to gamble that he was ready to find some use for my energy, and I couched my begging in terms of 'affiliating myself with the troops' and 'spreading our name to create unity,' it seemed to work. I spent my days thereafter talking with the officers and individual commanders of each company. They were divided into sections based on the lord they had pledged to. Personally I doubted the efficacy of such a divided system, but I was willing to hold my tongue as I learned as much as I could from each of them, and then compared their tactics when I had time for individual thought.

It took me another week until I dared to brave the footsoldiers' training area. While I was confident of my skills, I was also nervous at being found wanting when compared to others. Especially with my brother's reminders regarding family reputation running through my head.

I started out on one of the lower forms, not wanting to appear arrogant, but as I continued I gradually forgot my worries and nervousness and fell into the flow, the zen if you will. I did not fall back into reality until around the twenty seventh form, when I realised I had gathered something of a crowd.

Yes, I dropped back into reality with a thud when I realised this.

I was embarassed at their attention, as most looked at me with hero worship. However, there was one man in the back of the crowd who held eyes of dark resentment and anger.

How do I get myself in these situations? I wondered.

Fortunately, there was a few of the men that had joined me on our expedition in that crowd, and they rapidly came forward with praise and a demand for a friendly spar. Their cheerful friendliness relazed me enough so that I was able to smile and the tension left my shoulders.

I quickly went through them, not wanting to give insult by going easy on them after they had seen my skill. I soon garnered the role of something of a mentor and trainer as they came back to ask me for tips to improver, rather than slinking off to nurse their pride as I expected them to do. This is how I gained the respect of the soldiers, at the same time the brotherly relationship that I was lauded for later on.

It was also what was one of the factors that ultimately influenced my brother's decision to name me commander.

I would not have been named such purely on my fighting capabilities. No, it was also my tactical strength. The hours I had spent studying military history and philosophy had finally paid off.

The first time I was invited to my brother's private study I was somewhat wary. Had I somehow insulted him or shamed him with my behaviour among the men? Would he chastise me for lowering the Minamoto name?

It was nothing so political. True he gave me something of a lecture for fleeing my supposed duty to the court, but all he seemed to want was a game of go."

_You would call it similar to that newfangled chess the westerners are always in an uproar over._

"He was a good opponent, but I was better. He stuck to the rules too closely and there was little creativity in his game plan. I was able to circle around him a few times and almost defeated him if not for last minute maneuvers on his part. I watched his expression at the same time as I focused on the game. He hid his emotions well, but I could tell from the strange quirk at the end of his mouth that he was pleasantly surprised. Younger brothers are always underestimated, I suppose.

I finally achieved a decisive victory just as dinner was being called.

I am not sure just what his feelings were after that first defeat, but I soon found out the effects. I was placed in charge of my own footsoldiers. This meant little in the days before we truly began to mobilize, but I was determined to be prepared. I had them practice moving as a unit and treking through the terrain, gradually becoming less and less conspicious and more of a collective forward march rather than a massive chaotic charge. I was working with the idea of making my group less conspicious so that they could be used in surprise attacks, an innovative idea that at first was met with some resistance as they viewed it as dishonorable backstabbing. It was only after several arguments where I continued to point out the benefits of such strategies intermingled with psychological warfare, that they began to consider the possibilities. Soon I had a tidy little band of followers watching and imitatting my teaching structure. I could only hope Yoritomo would approve.

It seemed he was much more willing to consider alternatives as he went so far to congradulate me on my efforts to unify the military.

My younger brother, Noriyori, had appeared sometime after a month had passed. He wandered in to the main complex after avoiding the guards who had been sent to escort him. Atypically, he was just on the verge of drunk. He held that borderline position for such a long time after, that many began to wonder if this strange meandering man with his scandalous habits was not actually sober but with an unfortunate personality.

I can tell you that was not so. One night I had finally gotten sick of the mark he kept causing on our family's name, that I doused him with lake water. He was much more respectable after that and soon began to join me out on the field. As long as one kept an eye on him to prevent mischief, he was a reasonably good leader. However, his skill lay more towards personal charisma than military genius.

I was the one they went to if they wanted training or a friendly challenge, he was the one they turned to for a drinking companion. It was an acceptable compromise, as long as someone was there to ensure that he sobered up in the morning.

Then suddenly, Kiyomari died and it was as if the spark had finally reached the tinder box. Everything exploded into movement. Those who had not begun training immediately forced their troops into day long motion, and war games began to crowd the days. It became something of a question of honor, to see who could best maneuver his troops into a position of strength.

My troops were, at that point, the most familiar with the terrain, so we easily won prestige.

The man with the burning eyes that I had seen on my first day in the training area had not departed, he made his presence known constantly with little snipes. He had challenged me that first day, not in the same friendly manner as the others but more in a desire to see me fail. After his defeat for I sent him home with quite a number of bruises, he became the unofficial leader of a small group of men with a similar disposition. Arrogant ones who could not allow another to succeed, and with a chip on their shoulder a mile wide.

I do not believe that there was any specific reason for his behaviour. As I later found out, he was a minor scion of the Kagetoki family, but we disliked each other at first sight. His name was Kajiwara no Kagetoki, and he would ultimately be my downfall.

At the death of Kiyomari, his son, Taira Munemori took the reins into his trembling hands. He was not the man his father was, and what was worse, he knew it. The stability of the Taira power shook at the roots. The perfect time for an attack. Yoritomo's waiting game had finally paid off.

It was that spring that the other lords finally came to a definite agreement to act under the leadership of Yoritomo.

I do not know how he managed that political coup, nor do I particularly care. He was never in any danger from me politically, I had no interest in the nuances of diplomacy and power."

_Ahh I can feel my bones crack as I have been sitting here for quite some time now, and it seems to me that this is the perfect time for a break. The perfect time... Hmm I wonder where your sister is, that is usually her call to come bounding in with eager demands for another amusement of me. Most disturbing._

_I gave Kage a gimlet eye as he scoffed. "What you doubt it? Is not her timing surprisingly impeccable?" I demanded as a loud pounding came to my ears. It had a familiar ring, with a short pattern that had come to identify the female member of the next generations grouping. With a skip and a hop, the topic of our conversation bounded in, hair askew and tangled with flowers._

"_Are you still in here Kage?" she demands with an incredulous air. "Come outside and play!"_

"_Yes young shadow, go out and feel the sunshine on your face for once" I laugh mockingly._

_He scowls at me over his shoulder as she tugs him outside, muttering about old men and their foibles, and promising a dark demise no doubt._

_While thos two are gambolling about, perhaps a short trip down my own memory lane. It shall be brief I promise you. Too many of us old folk grow senile after a while, don't we._

_I was not what you would call fortunate. My military career had ended and my wife had just died. I was alone in the world without any real hope of a future._

_When she died, that light of my life, I was left with a young child and a small house that my father had deigned to bestow upon me. I made do, but it was a cold winter._

_We would not have survived if not for the care of a nearby village, that provided the necessities for us. My father had died by this time, and the uncle who inherited our estate had little interest in providing for a nephew that he saw only as a possible threat._

_So we lived. I learned a new trade beyond the leisure of the upper class. Now I had to work every day to eke out a living from the small plot of land attached to our house. That and take care of a small child. I gained a new appreciation for just how hard a woman's job really is. Thank kami many of the village women took pity on me and allowed my child to join there own._

_Days passed and often times I considered writing down everything that had happened to me, but I never had the time, so I merely exerted my memory so as not to forget. _

_As season passed to the next I watched time flow through the growth of my own child. I watched her first steps, and I was there when she exchanged her short children's clothes for the longer dresses of a woman. I was there when she fell in love, and when she married. And, when she gave birth. It was almost enough to make me feel old, this large family that surrounded me._

_I wonder sometimes if I did allright, if she felt the absence of a mother. She seems to have turned out well, and her children certainly are not stunted by any psychological effect of this absence. Although sometimes I wonder about that Sora..._

_Speak of the devil._

"But I digress.

Yoritomo had garnered the support of the rebellious lords and set his plan into motion. And so we set out. Our first battle was to be against the forces of a Oda Kagechika. A querulous old man, but a loyal one. Loyal, that is, to the Taira, and thus he was our opponent.

He was a relatively close neighbor to the Hojo territory, and his lands were made up of fertile flatlands protected by a dense forest and a river. They held the position of strength.

This was not a good way to start out our first battle, and we were routed. But it did provide us with the practice our armies needed to flatten out the small discrepancies in our communal movement. And fortunately, our actions in battle, despite the unfavourable circumstances, impressed most of the lords sufficiently to keep them around and interested. We also gained one or two political allies who, while unable to provide military reinforcements, could provide the influence that we might need later on.

I was proud of how my squadron had handled themselves. The whole thing went horribly, but they did not break formation and were able to give succor to a few of the others who were milling about and charging like chickens who had just lost their head.

Thereafter, the generals seem to have lost confidence in themselves, as there were no more collective movements of the entire army. Instead, specific sections of the army were sent out in smaller groups to perform a type of large scale heckling. I say heckling, since neither our side nor the Taira placed there full forces in conflict with each other, and the conflict itself was rather fledgling. It was more like training missions than anything decisive.


	17. Chapter 17

The Taira, in truth seemed unwilling to fully engage us after that disastrous battle, a surprising response to their victory, but they appeared to be content with a kind of containment policy. True they did have their hands full with other uprisings. I would often be called to my brother's study to hear him complain about 'those scurious upstarts who are using our name as the banner under which they justify their fighting for land rights and revenge for old disputes' we were beginning to get a somewhat rapscallion reputation.

During this period of relatively small disturbance, our forces, mainly under the leadership of Yoritomo, set up our center of command at Kamakura. Although he had effectively revealed himself as a serious opponent, my brother focused his attention on ensuring that this base was secure. By that I mean that he defeated all of the minor lords in the surrounding area who were loyal to the Taira and those who were not inclined to declare one way or the other but wait until the victor became clear. Our territory was thus virtually impenetrable from a Tair attack, the only possibility of defeat would come when we finally ventured out against the Taira in their area of strength.

Then, lightning seem to strike, a random posession perhaps as, against the advice and demands of his, I suppose you would say, advisors, he sent out a messenger under a white banner. A signal for neutral discussion. This in itself was bad enough, but his idea of a compromise comprised a form of betrayal in the eyes of many of the lords. He called for a partition of the country between our family and the Taira, with Yoritomo taking the east. True, this was not the most equal of division, as the west was less prosperous and relied more upon foreign trade. In addition, the west did not hold the same extent of militarization and natural barriers that the east did. Thus, it came as little surprise when the Taira refused with atypical arrogance. We received the head of our envoy as a blatant form of response.

Many of the men approached me for answers regarding my brother's reasoning. I could give them no answer. It was odd, I agree, that he made this move. After all, we had been functioning quite well while ignoring Kyoto and there was no tactical advantage to such a division that would not also have applied to our conquest of the entire country. It made us appear weak and desperate for consilitation this lowering of expectations. We were perfectly capable of defending our position and putting up an equal force to the Taira in a battle for supreme conquest.

I did not, and still do not fully comprehend my brother's logic in this move. Perhaps his recent defeat had undermined his confidence, or this was a contingency plan to fall back on if things did not go as planned. My brother was sneaky like that, and with this move he could claim that he had called for a compromise but was overruled by the others in his supposed coalition. Or maybe he hoped that the Taira would overestimate our strength. There were so many possibilities, but the aura of mystery appealed to Yoritomo and he never gave me a definite reason for his actions.

This was around the time that the name of Yoshinaka appeared on my horizons once more.

He had ostensibly appeared to lend support to his exiled cousins and seek revenge against the Taira in the name of our family. Tomoe had been correct, this was not a man who appeared as if he was trustworthy.

Of course my brother could not afford to show any division between members of our blood, that would show weakness and the others would smell blood. Instead, he welcomed Yoshinaka with open arms and kind greetings. Unfortunately for me, I was close enough to be included in such a broad welcome. Close enough to gain a dagger in the dark, were my feelings.

He was sneaky looking, with close set eyes and a small mouth, and his hands were always twitching. He was supposedly a great commander, and my brother entrusted him with half of our forces and the eventual conquest of the capital, but I could tell that this was not a man of the sword. He was the type who would hang to the rear and let his man do all of the bleeding and the dying, and then proceed to take the credit for a victory, as well as the majority of the spoils of war.

This was the man who I already despised, but would soon come to hate with a burning torrent of rage so powerful that I could barely speak in his presence without a growl tinging my accent. I know for sure that my eyes turned chilly and stonelike, which was the furthest my honor would allow me to shoe my emotions.

It came on the second week after his arrival, the announcement that would destroy any possible hope in my future happiness.

Kiso, a ridiculous name that Yoshinaka had taken up as his own, slid into the audience chamber. Somehow managing to mix oiliness and pompous arrogance into the same gait. He headed to my brother and whispered something to him, with a small smirk on his face. I could tell my brother was unhappy at this news as his face went still and then sculpted into a pleasantly cool mask.

"This calls for congradulations" he announced.

"Lords and ladies I would like to formally announce that Yoshinaka no Minamoto, has taken his first wife."

Now the displeasure made sense. While Yoritomo was married, his wife had yet to provide him with a heir, and now here was his cousing, his equal in age and influence, appearing with a young wife who would most likely prove fertile. Fertile and thus the instrument of a challenge to him and his possible sons' inheritance. I am sure Kiso realised this as well, what I was less clear on was why he thought this would agitate me as well. His crafty face had a look of supreme satisfaction as he turned towards me, as if he had gained something I sought. I already knew there was little chance of me gaining any materialistic benefit through our family, and I did not particularly care, what else could he be so happy about. I would soon find out.

I gave him a lood of bland indifference, and congradulated him on his nuptials. I am sure, in hindsight, that this threw him a little. But then his face mutated into a sneer as his eyes glinted.

"Yes indeed" he whispered to himself and then raised his voice so that all could hear. "My wife is indisposed at the moment, but I will formally introduce her in three days time."

I left the hall that day without a care in the world, easily forgetting his threats that were framed in the language of promises, I would return three days hence to have my heart torn from my chest and crushed by his odiferous feet.

So the tune of our lives, ever gaining and constant losing. A swirl of mad yearning for the unattainable.

I paid little attention to the passing days, and it was only the call to the central chambers that reminded me of the upcoming introduction. It irked me at the time, the reminder had come just as I was falling into the meditative mindset of the sword, and I had little interest in being interrupted so as to be able to make my bows to some woman who had most likely never seen the other side of her screen.

My expression was thunderous as I set out to meet this exemplary figure of womanhood.

It quickly changed to horrified disbelief at the sight of the recent blushing bride. Then I shut down. I would not allow Kiso, who obviously had some incling of our relationship to realise just how close we had been, and just how important a bargaining chip he had gained, at least in his interactions with me.

It was Tomoe.

She was so changed that I almost did not recognize her. She was gorgeous. She had been beautiful before, but now clothed in women's gowns she seemed to shine. Her hair framed her lightly made up face and fell nearly to her knees, perfectly accenting the pale colors of her robe. Her inner gown, just visible underneath her robe, framed her figure, so different with the absence of her swords.

Her eyes were an even deeper grey with the dark lining of her make up emphasizing the difference between skin tone and pupil. Lips dark red, she was a vision.

I forced myself to seem to seem uninterested, unsurprised beyond a glance of recognition. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see Kiso's complexion getting more and more red. Apparently I was supposed to burst into tearful angst and challenge him over the rights to this woman.

I wanted to, but I knew I could not. And I knew Tomoe would understand this.

For she was still inside this pale figure of beauty, hidden behind dull grey eyes. True they were beautiful, but they were lifeless. They did not hold the vivacity I was used to seeing in them. Her figure was not the proud, confident one of a strong woman, but rather the curled in and timid one of a victim.

"So Yoshitsune-san, I hear tell you know my wife?" he spoke with such greasy surety, it appeared to be obsequitous, but I caught undertones of condescention and apprehensiveness.

So he wanted to go that route, I thought. The subtle hints of knowledge were no longer working for his underminded schemes and he had decided to be more conspicious. Well, two could play that game.

"That is true, Yoshinaka-san." I could tell I had surprised him with this admittance, apparently he had suspected greater subterfuge on my part.

"Call me Kiso, after all, we are cousins..." he finished with a leading tone to his voice. Ahh, he wanted to know the details, as if he did not already know them. He wanted to catch me in an untruth. But then Tomoe spoke, and from his expression, this was not part of his defined script.

"Husband, we met when I was travelling as a samurai. He was at Kurama temple at the time I took my training to that fair mountain."

A glimpse of the old Tomoe then.

Kiso scowled darkly, but since he had asked the question, he could not chastise her, at least not in pubic.

My brother, perhaps sensing the tension that I sought to hide, strove to soothe the situation.

"Perhaps, the Lady Tomoe would honor us with her talents in a contest with my brother?"

It was framed as a question, but was really a command, and this did nothing to lower Kiso's rising ire, even if it had been a question, there is little doubt that he would have been soothed with the emphasis on his wife's prowess. A talent he obviously did not hold.

Although I am sure my brother was completely ignorant of the undercurrents of the situation, he managed to appear as if he was omniscient, as a true leader would be.

Tomoe held a small, secret smile as she lowered her head to hide her eyes with her bangs. I forced myself not to grin unabashedly and lowered my head in a nod of acquiescence.

This acceptance without his input angered Kiso, and he opened his mouth as if to interrupt, stepping forward slightly, but a sharp glare from my brother stopped him and reminded him of the power play that was going on here.

Taking the center of attention for the first time, Tomoe stepped up to my brother and I.

"Shall we mark off tomorrow at the ninth hour past sunrise for our... duel?" she questioned me with a mischevious tilt to her head. As a samurai in her own right, this was her jurisdiction, a place in which her husband, whether or not he was a lord, could have no say, and I could tell she gloried in usurping his supposed supremacy.

"It shall be so" I answered her, this would be the hardest battle of my life, I was sure. Not that I doubted my skill or hers, it was merely that I had never fought her in front of such an audience, an audience with such close ties to us as well as such an influence on our future relations. Who could possibly infer things about our past ties that were best kept hidden, at least from her husband.

Fortunate for us that we had spent the time on the mountain developing our own secret language of small gestures, body posture and eye blinks. There was no serious reason then, beyond fooling the monks who really had no interest in our going ons, but now it was used in a more serious manner.


	18. Chapter 18

We did not have a symbol for "I love you." at the time no words were needed and we had all the time in the world to tell each other so.

"I look forward to our duel" she spoke the words to me, but "I have missed you" she told me with her eyes and hands.

We gave each other the challenging stare that was expected of us, and she departed with her new husband. I was left to pick up the pieces of what was once my heart.

No that was not dramatic extremism, that was how I felt. She was no longer mine. I knew she could not possibly have chosen the man she hated so much as her mate, but still, while she could be with me in secret and in the heart, we could never feel the joys of being man and wife.

So yes, it was my heart that lay there on the tatami mats.

As she walked out the door behind her husband, she turned to send me a last gesture.

"Meet me tonight" her hands signalled.

She rushed out when Kiso turned to see what was keeping her. Over his shoulder his eyes met mine. Triumph, were all they told me.

I turned to bow my leave of my brother, but he stopped me before I could make my exit.

"Brother, whatever you feel for that woman. Our cousin must never find out." He showed his apparent knowledge without the slightest hint of feeling. It was a statement of facts, not of emotions.

With those words echoing through my mind, I left to prepare for my meeting with Tomoe. This called for another few hours of training to take my mind off of the possible what ifs and why nots.

According to the system we had developed on our mountain temple, I was to wait for a note telling me the location of our meeting place. I wondered how she would send it. Before we had a special hollowed out tree in which we would leave each other messages, here we had no such thing, and we both knew that we could not rely on the servants. Servants were too easily bought and their loyalty was too fickle.

While I was mulling over this, I felt something whiz past my face. Ahh, I had forgotten her skill as an archer. I reached over to pluck out the arrow imbedded in the tree a couple feet away from me. She had made it such a close call on purpose. I smirked at the thought. Looking over I could just barely see her standing in front of her husband, who was waving his hands around frantically. She was in the pose she used when she was trying to appear innocent to the monk or monks who were lecturing her for some random prank. Hands behind her back and head down, looking up through her lashes. It was surprisingly effective. Obviously her husband was lecturing her for so blatantly trying to kill off the younger brother of Yoritomo. He did not know the secret to the arrow. It had a small piece of paper rolled around it and painted the same color as the wood of the shaft.

In order to keep up the pretense, I stalked over to demand an explanation of Kiso, completely ignoring Tomoe as he no doubt expected.

"What is the meaning of this Yoshinaka?" I demanded, purposely forgetting his less formal name and pushing the arrow, minus the note, in his face.

"Should I suspect that you are, perhaps less confident in your wife's skill?"

He stuttered for a moment, obviously surprised by my forceful attack after my silence in my brother's presence, but then he found his bearings.

He waved his hand for silence as Tomoe opened her mouth to state some small excuse.

"Forgive my wife" he whined out, "she does not know her own strength. She was aiming for a much closer target and did not expect her arrow to go quite so far, else she would have aimed in a different direction." He effectively placed the blame entirely on Tomoe while aggrandizing her prowess and hoping to catch me in a statement of fear at my close call.

I looked over at the absence of anything between our location and the tree at which I had been standing, there was nothing in between.

"I see."

Without waiting for a reply to my doubtful statement, I spun away to return to my practice. I wanted to leave immediately to scan the note, but I knew I could not show such an obvious sign of disgruntlement. I resolved to go as high as I could in my forms so as to completely scare Kiso. I was relatively sure Tomoe would not have told him of my skill, nor would she have revealed her own. This would put an edge of fear and desperation in his actions, as I could tell that he was paying more attention to my movements than to his supposed critique of his wife's archery. After all, she was a superb archer, and her black arrows edged with goose wings hit the center of their target time and time again. A sharp disparity to his wide ring of arrows that circled around the center in random tangents, but never hit.

I did worry for her at that. Such an obvious show of superiority over this arrogant man would not bode well for her later. His face grew very red as the men watching began to laud her skill and make small snide remarks at his expense. Or at least they must have appeared biting to one so conscious of his own merit, but to others it was just playful joking.

His anger consequently effected his aim and his shots fell wider and further from his mark, further increasing his anger. Finally he laid down his bow, making an off hand remark about the karma stating this was a bad day for his accuracy and wandered off, trying to appear nonchalant.

I smiled to myself as I continued, I had not yet reached my sixteenth form and already he was leaving. Kiso zero, Tomoe one.

Night fell, and the darkness provided the perfect cover for my movement. I was too big to take the tree route, but I was familiar with a couple back routes between my rooms and Kiso's complex. Fortunately her note had set to meet on the edge of their rooms, at the border of the nearby forest. Easily slipt into if approached, and invisible to any eye looking out from the housing complex."

_Oh such clandestine going ons these late night meetings under the moonlight with nary a sound but your own breaths and whispers. Ahh young love._

"_You laugh Kage, silly boy, when you fall in love I will pay you back in full for your mockery. But of course you will not realise it because your head will be too full of dewdrops and daisies"_

_He scoffed at me and turned his nose up in the air, an unbecoming look that he had no doubt learned from Sora, on whom such expressions looked much more endearing. I told him so._

_He denied it emphatically and told me that he would never succumb to the wiles of any female. I could already tell by the blush on his cheeks that he was presently experiencing his first puppy love. Perhaps the niece of the tea merchant who had recently come to visit her old uncle? I had noticed Kage's absence from the house more often, and I heard rumors of his presence around the tea house. The old merchant had gone so far as to come to me to complain about his detrimental effect on business. Kage did hav a rather impressive glare, which he had doubtless levelled on any competitors for the niece's affections, basically any and all who had approached the tea house._

_I told the old man that this affliciton would pass as soon as his niece's visit ended, and we shared a look of long suffering commiseration. What crazy things these youngsters got up to. It was so different back in the day when we were young, after all. Buahaha._

_Oh dear, Kage is looking at me like I have gone off my rocker, sudden laughter after long contemplation would promote such a belief I suppose._

"I was early to our meeting spot. Unwilling to wait for the zenith of the moon and I crept out as soon as full darkness fell.

Everything sounds so much louder when one is trying to move silently. The footsteps I made on the soft carpeting of pine needles echoed like sharp cracks in my mind. And when a twig snapped underfoot, oh horror of horrors. Every shadow was a person just waiting to catch us. I must admit, my hand was firmly placed on the hilt of my sword throughout that short journey. My eyes were darting around warily.

But once I arrived at the place designated for our reconnaisance, all such worries flew from my mind at her appearance.

I was surprised at the strength of my emotions. True I had missed her, but I had not realized how much I missed her. Everything seemed to settle into place with a last clink as I was finally able to talk and act freely with her.

We flew into each others arms, and we were quite indescernible for some time. To wrapped up in feeling each other's skin to ensure that we were really there, than any verbal communication.

Finally we broke apart in order to breathe and stare into each other's eyes.

"Yoshitsune" she started, and then paused as if trying to figure out what to say next.

"What happened?" I substituted for her. I wanted to know how she had fallen into the claws of the disreputable man she had fled in the first place.

She smiled then, "well we were perhaps not as discreet as we first thought."

I must have made some sound of disbelief and she full out grinned.

"Yes Yoshitsune your amorous expression whenever you glanced in my direction, and moonstruck attitude when we were apart..." she started teasingly.

I poked her, "No it could not have been I" I stated in a dramatically pompous tone. "You were the one who had such a woebegone expression at every small leavetaking and you were the one who would often be caught gazing at my handsome visage."

Laughter erupted from both of us and we collapsed to the floor, consumed in our giggles. Ahh it felt good to laugh freely once more. To be silly without ramifications.

Our laughter gradually faded into the peaceful silence, softened by the treebranches. We were left in a state of repose. I leaning against the nearest tree trunk, and her body resting against my chest. It was a pose that was usual to us, as we had spent many happy days before in each others company as such.

She traced the scars on my hand.

"Ahh Yoshitsune, how I have missed you" she murmured.

_Fearful it would be_

_to speak it out in words_

_so I endure a love_

_like the morning glory_

that never blooms conspicuously

I murmured in agreement. Watching a petal drift down from the cherry tree above us, I contemplated just how impermanent our existence was. Soon gone after its first bloom. Even our happiness could not last.

Eventually she stirred, and turned to face me.

"I was serious about our belief that we hid our affections."

I looked in her eyes with no small amazement.

"You mean?"

"Yes. Our last meeting under that far away cherry tree was not as well hidden as before. Apparently we were too distraught or made too much noise. Regardless, one of the monks, a new one who still dipped his hands in the jar of politics and had yet to achieve that meditative neutrality, saw us and decided that relaying the news of my actual gender to a passing courtier would benefit him better than a shaved head.

Well the passing courtier spoke to his wife who told her friend who told another friend who happened to be the current phase of one of the officers of Yoshinaka, who eventually relayed this news to his lord.

Apparently Yoshinaka had yet to forget the one girl to get away from his lasciviousness, and absence had put me on something of a pedestal. I became more worthy of his lust and he dug deeper. My family was an old diluted line of some minor official, just barely acceptable. But that was enough for him and he decided to punish my rejection by forcing me into marriage. He could thus satisfy his lusts at the same time he destroyed my freedom.

He and his retinue arrived just weeks after you had departed.


	19. Chapter 19

They rode up to the temple without warning and the lead rider tossed a bag of coins to the monks. Payment, I suppose for any damage wraught or for me. They crashed in to the arena where I had been practicing. There was so many of them, I did not even think to use my sword, it was probably better for me that I had not. I made a run for the trees, but they were too far away and the horses to fast. I was pulled over the back of one horse like a sack of potatoes or a spoil of war, and they made off with me without saying a single word to the monks.

I knew who they were. I did not for a moment believe they were the bandits their behaviour suggested. Although they made a small effort to hide the symbol of Yoshinaka's family, it was slight and the coverings fell of during their raid."

She said these words with a completely blank face, no tears or emotion on her face. I believed that she had shed all her tears in the days previous. Now she was too worn or she felt her position as too permanent to allow further despair to appear on her face.

"They threw me at his feet and took away my sword. The sword my sister had given me."

I frowned at this dishonor. To take a sword from a samurai, even if said samurai was a woman, was the most barbaric behaviour and the gravest insult. Normally this called for a samurai to defend his, or her, honor with a challenge for a duel to the death or at least a public apology. But I already knew that Kiso would not have allowed this.

"He struck me. Called me a whore and told me that he would allow me to regain the honor that my name had supposedly lost, by becoming his wife. Allow? As if I had any choice in the matter what with being surrounded by men who were eager to see me break."

Those words tore at me. I had not been there to protect her. I knew she would not appreciate such a thought but I still felt that my absence had partly caused the entire situation.

"He made me swear an oath of loyalty" she whispered so softly that I almost could not hear her. I was forced to write in blood and choke down the vile drink of the ashes of that contract. Now it will forever be with me." She looked away as if she could not bear to meet my eyes. I did not know what to say to this and merely placed my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

We did not sleep that night. We spent the hours talking of everything that had happened in our separation and whispering soft nothings into each other's ears.

As the first sign of dawn broke onto the horizon and the mists crept in to hide our passage, we separated, back to our respective homes. There were many false starts and backtracking for one last kiss or just one more whispered farewell, but we eventually tore ourselves away completely.

The day of the duel dawned upon us bright and early. And at the set hour, we appeared ready for battle. She had shed her court apparel to once more dawn the boyish clothing she had worn when we first met. I compromised with the occasion by shedding the ornate robe and remaining in an undershirt and pants, as normal for me. The court clothing was itchy and tiringly burdensome, it felt good to be rid of it.

We met as if we were complete strangers. Bowing to each other and to our audience, for indeed we had somehow managed to gather quite a crowd. Then we introduced ourselves to each other including name and rank. Or at least that is what our onlookers thought we said to each other, but really we were questioning each other's readiness. We had a plan of course. It was to fight for all we were worth, neither could afford to lose and we both hoped to battle to a standstill. Hopefully after an hour or so of this my brother and her husband, how I hated the term, would call a draw as equal opponents. We were merely pawns in their games of political power play, after all.

After the slow pace of introductions and approach, the speed of our swords came as something of a shock to the crowd. I heard a low murmur of surprise. We were not hiding our skill and I knew we looked impressive despite our differences in style.

As a smaller figure, she favored speed and used quick thrusts and withdrawals to her advantage. Her footwork was particularly impressive, almost like a dance. A quick movement forward, and then just as I lunged, she jumped backwards sword en pointe so that I would overextend and she would go in for a slash towards my head.

Fortunately I was used to her style and had come up with my own to combat hers. While I did not have the build for speed, I did not focus on the brute strength that would have culminated in my defeat. I used movement to confuse her faking a slash as I sidled around to her other side. Using muscle hints to throw her off and to guess her next move.

As it was acceptable to find joy in battle, I grinned unabashedly, revelling in this opportunity to work against an equal opponent. Our movements were almost synchronized they seemed to flow from one to the next. Flashing blades in the midday sun and light clouds of dust from our footwork. Our battle extended beyond the area set out for the duel, as we lost perception of the onlookers and became completely focused in each other. We knew they were there, it was just that they were insignificant to our dance.

Finally we were broken out of our trance by loud applause and the shouts of my brother to stop, that it was almost noon and that they could see that we were well matched. With a bow we separated, and calmly walked back to our respective positions, as if a couple hours of swordwork meant nothing.

I was privately congradulated by my brother for, in his words, "pushing my feelings to the back of my mind in order to seek the blood of my opponent." I accepted this praise with small grace. I am afraid I gained something of a reputation as a cold hearted warrior, but that is acceptable if it will serve to hide any strangeness in my actions.

I was not able to speak with Tomoe again before the men under Yoshinaka marched away.

Then it was back to business as usual, I returned to training the soldiers, and they seemed to follow my leadership with a new vigour. The only difference was, now Kiso was out training his own units. After a few weeks they broke off to march east, to take up a position closer to the capital as a kind of unspoken threat. However, before any overt actions could be taken, the kamis decided they wanted to hurt us even more. Poor harvest brought starvation and disease. Generally this affected the lower peasantry, but a starving farmer could not work and thus the soldiers did not receive sufficient food, and the disease spread in the troops. Fortunately, our relatively active lifestyle meant we were very healthy in the beginning, and thus were not hit as hard as some of the citizens of the densely populated towns. In the capital the famine and plague caused chaos, and all fighting was forestalled until the situation had been dealt with. At least for those with honor.

Yoshinaka, was not one of those with honor. He made a series of small movements against his weakened opponents for no other reason than the gain of spoils, as he did not make the kind of large scale maneuvers that would have given us a tactical advantage. Such zeal would have excused his disreputable behaviour. Regardless, my brother was quite angry. Yoshinaka had apparently made the motions of accepting my brother's leadership and thus should have waited for his command. His recent actions disproved this and portrayed him as self serving. Foolish, is what my brother called it. He was more willing to wait and see instead of showing his hand all at once. He felt that Yoshinaka had destroyed any possible element of surprise.

As soon as the situation became more stable, however, Kiyomari's young heir began to move. And instead of focusing on our forces, as my brother had perhaps expected, his attention was turned to Yoshinaka, who he apparently deemed the great and closer threat. True Kiso did hold military prowess as a tactical commander, but he did not hold the ability of a leader. As soon as he achieved his immediate goal, he allowed everything to dissolve into chaos.

The Taira host departed from Kyoto in May, and in Kaga Province split up. One force, under Tomomori, advanced to the north and swung through Noto Province. The other, larger force, led by Taira Koremori, advanced due east towards Etchû Province. This splitting of his force, if used correctly, would have surrounded Yoshinaka, cutting him off from any supply lines and prospective allies. It was a good plan, if there had been sufficient forces. However, with the limited number he had to work with, Prince Munemori no Taira only served to weaken each indiviual group.

Yoshinaka managed to ambush the force led by Taira Koremori, supposedly the stronger of the two, at Kurakawa and engineered a rout of the Taira warriors. He followed this up with a decisive victory at Shinohara and the marched on the capital. My brother was left in the wake of these accomplishments, which did not suit him at all. This anger was emphasized by Kiso's aggrandizement and arrogance. For one who had acted so subservient in the presence of my brother, it came as quite a contradiction when distance further increased his pompous and condescending attitude. My brother who had not been subject to this attitude previously, felt the difference more deeply.

The rapid defeats and the approach of such violent opponents, effectively demoralized the Taira and they abandoned the capital, taking many valuables with them, much to Kiso's disgruntlement I am sure. I say abandoned, but Munemori phrased it as an organized evacuation. This man did not have the stomach of his predecessor, else Kiso would have had a much more difficult time in his conquest of Kyoto.

In the early weeks of August Yoshinaka, and a recent follower of his Yukie, another distant cousin, marched into the city.

The now defenseless city was ripe for the plucking. The men Kiso brought in were not the most discreet and they obviously enjoyed the finer things of life with little care for others. They prowled through the streets without order, pillaging and sacking. Taking whatever they wanted and destroying what they did not. The people lived in fear of the sight of Yoshinaka's family crest, emblazened on all of his soldier's shoulder.

The residing emperor, Go-Shikawa, was not amused.

His actions, I suppose, would have been accepted as a necessary evil by said ruler, if only they were part of a continuous movement against his powerful opponent. But they were not. His actions were slow and ineffective. Sluggish at best and non-apparent at worst. He did send one of his generals to the west with the task of reducing Yashima, the Taira headquarters on Shikoku. But the preparation was so lackluster that this force was easily defeated at Mizushima. Another harsh blow to Minamoto pride.

Yukie was finally disillusioned with Yoshinaka, disgusted with his minimalism and his rampant greed for the spoils without actually earning them. He attempted to recoup after the losses and led an army against Taira forces at Muroyama in Harima Province. While well intentioned, the actions of Yoshinaka and his effect on the capability and willingness of the soldiers to depart from this city of so much opportunity for materialistic gain, had its consequences. Yukie was soundly defeated and barely managed to escape with his life.

The impudence of Yoshinaka knew no bounds. Despite his losses and his dark reputation within the city, he went so far as to whine to Yoritomo about his position in their unofficial hierarchy. He wrote that he felt he should be labelled with some rank on an equal, if not greater level as my brother, since he was the one who had taken the capital. He somehow managed to forget his scurrious actions regarding said conquest, as well as the territorial distributions that they had previously agreed upon. My brother was caught between outrage at his cousin's gall and mocking pity for this conspicious demand for a power that he had not truly earned. Kiso thought that the clans would recognize his prowess, but he did not realize their communication with Go-Shikawa and their relatively unhindered perspective on the consequences of his actions. True, he had won the city, but it was unlikely that he would be able to maintain his position, and neither did it appear likely that he would make any further progress against the Taira.


	20. Chapter 20

The day the courier with this missive from Kiso arrived at our makeshift court it was relatively peaceful. The sun shone hot against the screens that hid us in their shade and we were all sweltering in our robes. My brother received the letter with a calm face, as if there was nothing new or abnormal in the news. I was the only one who caught the brief sharpening of his eyes and the careful way he folded the papers. As if he was willing himself not to tear it apart. Then he announced the news.

"Our cousin" he stated calmly, "has decided to name himself supreme head of the Minamoto clan and has ordered us to pay him honor and to march west to finish off the remaining Taira forces."

I gaped at him, I will admit it. Such impertenance and shocking self confidence in one who had been so outwardly subservient. Oh I knew he had it in him. I was just surprised that he had played all of his hands so soon and with such obvious disregard for his own numbers. We still had the majority of soldiers, and they were also better trained and organized than his troops.

He ignored my brief loss of composure as he sat down at his desk, not paying any attention as I approached and writing quickly in a running scrawl that still remained elegant despite its speed. He signed his name with a last stroke of his brush and scattered sand over the page to dry the ink.

"Well brother?" he asked, obviously this was a dismissal and I made my way back to the training field.

I had spent even more of my time here since Tomoe's departure. Here where I could force my mind from its continuous spiral regarding our relationship. Twisting and turning through forms as the sweat poured down my back I could force the thoughts from my mind as I exhaled. Letting exhaustion wipe my mind clean of worry.

On nights when I could not go to the path of the sword without disturbing the rest of those without troubles, I would pass the time pacing around my small room or reading poetry. I believe I drove my youngest brother, Noriyori a little bit crazy with my late night visits which, when they did not disrupt his sleep they generally interrupted another's late night meeting. He finally banned me from his rooms.

For a week my eldest brother did nothing, or he appeared to do nothing. He would sit in his office complacently sipping tea as he filled out papers or took time to appreciate the tall pine trees stark against the blue of the sky. Then another letter arrived and Noriyori and I were called in to his office once more.

We were there for good news it would seem as my brother's face appeared more jubilant, or at least, happy to the point that would be allowed without loss of face. After all, one could not allow oneself to have appeared worried.

In the end he revealed the contents of the letter to us.

We had known that he had been in contact with the retired emperor, but being young and more concerned with military exploits, at least that is what Yoritomo assumed, neither Noriyori nor I were included in the discussions and negotions between Yoritomo and Go-Shikawa. Suffice to say that such going ons were occuring.

But Go-Shikawa had declared his support and now we could move, assured of the backing of the court, or at least the court of the cloistered emperor the more effective government power. This was what my brother had been waiting for. True he was powerful and he had the militistic power to take whatever he wanted and destroy any in his way, but this would give him legal justification. In effect he was acting under the will of a descendant of Amaterasu.

Congradulations were in order and given as expected. I could tell that Noriyori had little care and did not fully understand the politics of this situation. I shared a look of exasperation with my eldest brother at his questions regarding the seasonal festivities that were planned for later that month. Apparently such grandiose schemes as the return of Minamoto political power and the reputation of our clan name went over his head when faced with the pleasures of the present.

"Yoshitsune" my brother called out to me as Noriyori and I prepared to leave. I stilled, that tone of voice implied something serious, and I had a strange feeling in my gut that told me this would not be good.

"I have named you so-daisho, general, of the armed forces with Noriyori directly under your command." He waved off the protests that were already brimming on my lips.

"I have not done this willingly as you are dear to me and I fear to lose you. But the other clan leaders have advised me that you are our best option and that you are well prepared to take on such responsibility."

I now knew just how expendable my brother and I were. The closeness we apparently shared was for show as we were less equal brothers than overlord and vassals. I might be a valuable tool, but there were other pretty baubles just as effective. I do not believe that, at this point he actively saw me as a rival and wished me dead, but I also do not think he would have minded if I had remained on my mountain and pledged my life to Buddha.

"I do not deserve this honor" I made the necessary excuses and he answered with the polite refusal to accept my humble denial. I was going to be the general of the Minamoto forces. Kami help me.

It was not until later that day that I discovered the other officer directly under me. Noriyori I knew, while somewhat lazy, once motivated he would get the job done to the best of his abilities and that he would remain loyal, the other I was less sure of. It was Kajiwara Kagetoki, the man with the dark eyes.

I wondered how he had meritted such a promotion. I had certainly never seen his leadership in action, nor were his skills with the sword particularly reward worthy. Not to say that they were not good, just not obviously better than others. I wondered if there was perhaps a political undercurrent involved here. After all, he was the son of the powerful Kagetoki, who was also a close comrade of my brother.

I would wait and see.

Yoritomo used Kiso's behaviour in the captial as a pretext and we used that justification to march against him and oust his forces from the capital.

It was a long march for the many who were unused to such and had perhaps spent less time on horseback than they should have previously. The first few nights were spent by many aching there sore backsides and limping around camp preparing their meals.

As we neared Kyoto, they had become hardened and used to such exercise. Which was good because it would not be their last hard march.

Once in sight of the walls of the capital, our forces split into two parts. I sent Noriyori with half of the men towards the northern Uji bridge while I led the second half towards the south.

We had come with relatively short notice, so the army that Kiso set out to meet us was disorganized and desperate. He was completely unprepared as he had relied too much on the architectural fortifications of the city and had not had forces on the walls as guards.

I was unsettled in my own mind. I knew my duty and I would not waver from it. Regardless of my personal feelings and political non-aspirations, I would not betray the trust that had been laid upon me. But I knew Tomoe was in the capital. As the wife of Yoshinaka she would be in the castle with him.

I grinned for a moment picturing her ordering the servants around as she tried to figure out the multiple layers that a high ranking lady would be expected to wear, especially when presented to the imperial family.

I knew I would one day have to go against her in battle, but I hoped today would not be the day. Kiso would no doubt lead from behind the scenes, and she should be at his right hand. Depending on how vindictive he was he might send her into the front ranks and defy tradition just to see her death at my hands, or mine at hers, for neither of us would fall short in our line of duty. At least not when directly confronted with it.

If I failed in my duty, and if I warned her somehow, her oath of loyalty and her own moral conscious would require her to tell her overlord, Yoshinka. So the battle dawned red.

Noriyori held the brunt of this first attack. The forces under Kiso left the castle from the northern gates as I breached the south and began to make my way through the lower districts. Our progress was serenaded by the shouts of battle that we could hear from ahead. The path we took was empty. The commoners who resided in the area had all shut their doors and peered out from the cracks between closed shutters.

My men were focused and we did not waste time rampaging through these desolated area, I reminded them that there was little to gain in these poorer districts, and if they did not reach the battle ahead, they would not benefit from the spoils of the richer district.

We circumvented the palace as, at that point it was already burning and sparks and falling timber were creating chaos in the area. The sight of the smoke and flames billowing from the upper levels stopped my heart for a few beats. What if she had been trapped in its midst?

We rode to the residence of the retired emperor. The courtiers who had been warned by private missive, as well as the friends of such who had escaped the burning of the reigning emperor's, the Taira's puppet's, castle. At the front of the gate I was required to state my name.

Well let's forget any chance of subterfuge I thought wryly as I called out.

"Yoshitsune, the younger brother of Yoritomo has arrived from the east! Open up!" IN that time one had to be so confident that it bordered on arrogant when one was introducing oneself.

I saw one of the men on guard duty leap for joy and jump off the side into the main complex. Idiots. The gate was opened immediately and we received a jubilant greeting from the courtiers inside. I could not help thinking that if I had been someone else and merely claimed to be Yoritomo's brother, this fortress would be overrun in an instant.

The retired emperor did not come out to meet us, that would have been beneath his dignity. Instead, each of the officers was required to give a formal introduction and state our rank. When this was done we were led into an antechamber and I was called away to meet with Go-Shikawa in a private room. I could feel the eyes of Kajiwara burning holes into my back as I left them behind.

When I entered the dark chamber it took a minute for my eyes to adjust. The room was flooded with the scent of sandalwood and burning smoke, there were no openings to the outside world.

On the upraised stage of the room sat an old man in long robes that seemed to emphasize his old and wrinkled body. But when you looked in his eyes, the fire of a much younger man burned in their depths. This was not a man one should underestimate.

His majesty asked me for a full description of the battle. He seemed to be under the impression that it was already over.

I informed him of the situation at the northern gates and that my men and I were headed in that direction to provide backup.

Go-Shikawa seemed to agree with this plan, stating, "Excellent, but I fear some of the stragglers from Yoshinaka's army might come here to cause trouble. Guard us carefully."

I assented respectfully. I could not really afford to lose men from the active force, and there would be few willing to leave the fight, but I knew I must humor the imperial will and I resolved to put a small amount of men on duty as guards. Perhaps fifty or so.

Apparently we had arrived at the castle just in time for as soon as my meeting was over we received word that twenty of Yoshinaka's men had ridden up. They were surprised to see us, and it turns out that Kiso had sent them so that if worst came to worst they could carry of Go-Shikawa and either force his allignment or cause his disappearance.

Their small number was easily defeated, and as soon as the last horseman had fallen, we turned to the north once more.

When the previous war crys suddenly erupted into the screaming of horses and men intermingled in a bloody cacaphony, I could feel myself pale. But we rode on.

When we arrived at the place where the Uji bridge had once been we saw that the stability of its planks had been replaced by a path of corpses. My brother was inventive when the need came for it, but he also had little qualms over the loss of men. I frowned as I joined him. Our supply of troops was not infinite, but I realised that any other option would have stalled us for too long, allowing the opposing forces leisure to kill off individuals with their archery, which was nothing to smirk at.

My reinforcements strengthened Noriyori's failing numbers and our charge routed the opposing forces and sent them scurrying.

They ran in a disorganized mass, none caring for those who fell behind, only seeking to get as far as possible from the wolves who hunted them from behind. We howled our chase, further striking fear into our prey's hearts. This is really where the idea of fear as a weapon became one of my major tactics.

They ran to the shores of Lake Biwa and we chased them for a day and a night. They made their stand at Azuwa.

It was night when we reached them and their forces lined the water shore. As they had no where to run as the water was also a kind of barrier without ships. We settled down for the night, allowing the soldiers to rest and regain the strength they had lost from their long chase. At least we rested, but Kiso's forces could not sleep as there was always the ever present fear of an attack covered by the darkness of the night. This fear was exemplorated by the firing of arrows into their midst by Noriyori's forces. He did not feel the need for rest and, unwilling to question his enthusiasm after his first definitive victory, I allowed it.

The morning broke and we were ready. They fell before our blades and it was glory.

_He said these words with a wry twist of his mouth and a blatantly sarcastic tone._


	21. Chapter 21

"Ahh but I forget myself" he mused. I am always a bit amused at the way the stories go on and on about it. If one believed such drivel I would be seven feet tall and holding the magic powers that the kami had gifted me." He chuckled.

"I do not remember much of that battle. It was not particularly distinctive in my mind, much like other battles in the dying and the noise. No. What I remember is her. She left this world that day, and she died in my arms.

I did not see the end of the battle that day. I was not there to witness Kiso's death. When Tomoe galloped off to the west at the command of her lord. I knew she had left to die.

Throughout the battle I had been keeping an offhand eye on her. I knew I would be unable to do anything, but still I worried. When the streak of scarlet appeared across her torsoe, I felt as if my own heart had been stabbed.

As the tide turned and the collapse of Kiso's forces finalized, the men circled and caught Kiso in his moment of weakness. This distraction allowed me to slip away into the forest.

I covered ground fast, hurrying to lessen the distance between myself and her. That wound had been deep but I still held the faint hope to save her. I knew that this feeling was not one of a good Buddhist. After all, one should welcome death as the next step in the journey in order to connect to one's next incarnation. But I could not lose her.

I was there to catch her as she fell from her horse. This told me everything. She was a superb horsewoman and she rode as if the horse was merely an extension of her body. If she was falling, the wound must be serious indeed.

I lowered myself to the ground with her in my arms. Her chest was so red and she was gasping for breath. I tore a strip from my shirtsleeve in a futile effort to staunch the flow. I did not notice the tears on my cheeks until I saw a drop fall onto her shoulder.

I felt a soft hand reach up to brush the drops from my face, and I turned to look at her.

Her eyes were open and a clear grey. Though she must have been feeling great pain, they were calm and full of love.

"Do you remember what I said about death?" she asked me softly.

"You told me you wanted to die beneath a cherry tree" I answered with care.

"Look" she said pointing upwards.

A cherry tree shone twisted against the sky, only just beginning to bloom. A small cry escaped me.

"You cannot die" I told her.

She raised her brows at my declaration. Then she struggled to pull out her short sword. Thinking she meant to exeliorate the process, I gripped her hand.

"I do not mean to commit suicide" she told me sarcastically, then she swiftly cut off a strand of her hair.

I stared at her in shock. This was her hair!

She rolled her eyes at me and settled back down. So little an action had been quite an effort.

"Here" she told me, "something to... remember me by" she gasped out.

I pulled her close, cradling her head to my chest.

"Will you stay until I make the first steps on my last journey?" she asked me softly. So low that I had to lean down to hear. "Sing me a last goodbye."

I complied. It had been a long time since I last sang, but for her, I would do anything in my power.

As I sang, I wound the lock of hair she had granted me into a small ring around my second finger.

_As you fall into sleep_

_Call the white crane_

_Flying over the mountain pines_

_Through the mist_

_To catch your falling dewdrop._

As the last words faded out I felt her hand gradually unclench and fall from my fingers. Her face held a peaceful expression, all the lines of worry easing from her face. Her eyes were closed as if in sleep.

She had passed on to the next life now. Like the falling petals of the cherry tree, she had bloomed so quickly only to fall to the earth as nature demanded. Perhaps I would meet her in the next turning of the wheel.

I returned slowly to the raging battlefield, the sounds echoing strangely past my ears. Without thinking I blocked stabs and dodged arrows, allowing my footsteps to take me where they would. When I reached the place of command, next to my brother and Kagetoki, Noriyori clapped me on the shoulder and yelled something about where had I been and that I was missing out on all the action. He did not wait for my response and he threw himself on a nearby horse and galloped exuberantly towards the nearest tangle of soldiers.

Kagetoki, on the other hand, did not move, he watched me with knowing eyes and a small smirk on his lips before turning and sauntering off. This sent shivers down my back.

Kagetoki did not scare me and I knew him well enough at that point not to allow him to creep me out, but something about the way his eyes glanced past me towards the forest where I had left Tomoe's body, worried me.

He could not possibly have known."

"_Well young Kage, off to visit your tea shop's greatest attraction?" I demanded as I noticed the boy start squirming around the time I new that the newest addition to our village took her break._

"_Can an old man's stories no longer hold you here?" I asked him in a fake mournful voice._

_He looked at me sharply, "if you want to tell stories so badly, grandfather" he told me with anI amused twist to his lips, "I am sure Sora would just love to keep you company. In fact, I can hear her footsteps coming toward us. Shall I call her in?" _

_It was all a ploy. Now they were united in their efforts to humor an old man such as I and allow Kage to meet his lady love._

"_Gah!" I scowled as he slipped out the door. _

"_Grandpapa" that insidiously cheerful voice piped up. "What happened to the pretty lady?" _

_I looked at her in confusion._

"_Sora was listening to part of your story" she admitted, moving her toe in circles on the mat as she hung her head and placed her hands behind her back. The picture of guilty curiosity._

"_Hmm" I frowned, this was not exactly the story for young ears._

"_She went on a journey," I told her finally._

"_Did she go to meet her herd boy?" _

"_No" I sighed. "She went back to her castle for another year to wait for her herd boy." This was as good as any symbolic explanation I could think of._

_She appeared to think for a moment._

"_Okay" she said finally, and went back through the door to her world of flowers._

"As soon as Kiso was taken out of the picture, my brother sent our forces out once more. This time we were to go against the Taira.

Many of us had expected a longer respite. After all, it had taken Yoritomo quite a long time to decide to go up against Yoshinaka, and we had not yet had time to enjoy our spoils.

Perhaps this would have been so if Yoritomo had not managed to wrest a declaration from Go-Shikawa that granted him emergency powers. This, of course, was supposed to only contain a mandate to continue the war against the Taira, but my brother had learnt much of political maneuvering through the small lettering of a legislation.

As soon as possible, Noriy ori and I were ordered to march west.

We moved into the eastern doorway of the provinces held by the Taira. There were a series of small fortresses built around their major capital, Ichi no tani. We had to go through this outer web before we could reach the spider at the center.

We went through these minor outposts like a typhoon through fisher boats. Leaving destruction in our wake.

My forces moved north to attack from a western direction, but I sent Noriyori to the east. We had enough forces at this point, to effectively pull off the tactic of surrounding the enemy and crush them between the two prongs of our attack.

As we got closer to the castle town that marked the Taira's retreat, I saw that the natural terrain surrounding the fortress was perfectly shaped for a further division and surprise attack.

The fort was protected from the rear by a sharp incline. I led a group of men up the side, cautioning them not to let small pebbles fall down into the courtyard below.

I knew this would be impossible without light, so we snuck up just as the sun was shining up above so that, if any looked upwards, they would be blinded by its rays. Noriyori had orders to wait until nightfall to begin their attack.

Climbing up the steep incline, we struggled to find paths for our horses. They were blindfolded so that they would not catch fright and bolt. Sure in their trust, they clamored over stones seeking footholds. Once we were at the top, the next challenge was making our way down the other side and into the center of the fortress.

Easier said than done. The opposing side held no foliage to lessen the speed of our descent and it was even more difficult of a cliff to travel. The men despaired for a moment, bewailing the loss of such a prime strategic placement. But that was why I had brought the horses.

I knew that it would not have been possible to maintain our surprise if we had simply ridden down the side of the cliff en masse. I also knew that too many horses would break their legs if we did so, and ultimately I was not willing to put down so many of our fine sources of transportation. No, the horses were brought for their instinct.

"General-san," one of the younger recruits approached me, "what shall we do?"

As if I had all the answers in the world. As if I was some sort of all knowing figure. Fortunately, I had a plan.

"Watch" I told himas I released one of the riderless horses. "The horses know the way."

As we watched the mare pick her way down using a path hidden from those above, we slowly began to follow.

It was slow going, none were in a hurry to fall to their death, after all.

Once we had all reached the bottom, we met up with the other half of my men who were under the temporary command of Doi Sanehira, and we formed back into ranks. Unbinding the eyes of our mountsl we drew our swords.

All of the Taira's attention was on the front gate, defending against my brother's attack.

They never saw us coming, we seemed to appear out of the night like angry spirits.

To them, the breaching of their impenetrable fort from the rear was an impossible feat. The fact that we had accomplished it with such apparent ease threw the Taira into a panic. To them, we were not men but some demon sent by the kami. It was a good reputation to gain from one's enemy.

They fled in droves, swarming their ships and departing, leaving many behind to fight and die in the breaking waves.

They fled to their Shikoku headquarters.

Before we could begin appropriating ships from the surrounding area for use in a fleet that would hound the seas, orders came from the top.

Apparently Yoritomo was worried that our forces were not yet strong enough to go up against the full might of the Taira, and we could not afford to lose more through a defeat. So he ordered a consolidation of power. We would return to Kyoto to organize the administration and supress any internal uprisings.

I was to be the deputy for the central areas.

_I did not care. I would follow the puppet strings that bound me and continue living until the time of my death called to me. Life is suffering." _

_He turned to me then and paused, seeming to take in my youth._

"_But you have yet to experience such loss. The other half of my soul had departed and I knew I had little hope of affection from my blood kin." I sighed as he turned back to stare in the fire and continued his tale._


	22. Chapter 22

"I was a careful governor. Even though nothing tied me to the people, I knew I needed to rule well to provide an example and because my brother was relying on me. This was the part of a good samurai. Loyalty, honor, endless days.

Noriyori was granted many honors and yet, when they tried to place such trifles on me, my brother refused to allow it.

People speak of the great rift that developed between us over this. The anger and resentment that tore our filial affection apart.

Pah! Why should I care for such things as titles? All it meant was further responsabilities and more enemies. True, they supposedly would have entitled me towards wealth, but I enjoyed the simple life. What I needed I had, or I could gain from foraging. That was why life in the Kurama Temple had suited me so well.

No, such angst was the product of another's manipulations. By this time, Kagetoki had already begun to whisper his poison into my brother's ears.

This is all in hindsight of course. At the time I was buried under legal minutia and paperwork.

There was a lot of paperwork. Everyone seemed to want to send me something, whether it was an introduction, a petition or some other drivel. Besides that, I also had to deal with the backlog that the Taira administration had left behind. It seemed they had been just as leery of dealing with such things as I was.

In addition to this, their structure was attrocious. They seemed to prefer to rely on fear and a show of force to keep their administration running. Throughout it their was the taint of corruption and bribery.

I was, at first, stuck trying to control the massive chaos while my brother organized the parade of heads. A gruesome ceremony that I did not completely approve of, but knew was necessary. The heads of the fallen served to warn off any would-be revolters as well as reassure our allies that we had indeed killed our enemies.

There was cavorting in the streets that night. My cousin had not been liked. And, while our soldiers partied hard and went through the local markets at an astounding speed, they were not nearly as bad as Kiso's forces.

That was also the time I gained one of the closest of companions. Yes, that was Benkei, loyal to a fault.

True, the first time I met Benkei he was waylaying people on the bridge and I had to pound some sense into him. But it was nothing like the climatic battle so many stories have made it into. He was strong, but too slow. I managed to trip him withing the first five minutes and from thereafter he decided to follow me around like a lost puppy.

If anything, Benkei was more like a brother than my actual kin. Yoritomo was wrapped up in his own concerns at the expense of all else, and Noriyori had little care for anything but his own pleasure. Benkei was one of the few who had a truly caring heart. He did not coddle me, but he was always concerned for my protection. He acted as a guard many times so that I would be able to sleep in peace and security. I had not felt safe enough to sleep for some time. While the capital was ours, it was a nest of poisonous intrigue.

It took me a while to warm up to him. After all, how often do you have a six foot man simply drop in your lap and declare friendship?

After a few close calls where he proved reliable, I began to lower my guards. My trust was fully established when he came and told me what he had denied for my sake. Apparently Kagetoki had made him a respectable offering of land in exchange for him spying on me and spreading rumors of my proclivities. Of course I could not seek retribution, at least not legally, as Benkei had merely described the man who approached him. No names had been given and it was only because I had recognized the description that I knew it was him.

He caught a glance of my ring and disolved into endless curiosity. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but Benkei had the curious nature of a cat. If he wanted to know something, he would worry about it for ages. But he never asked me, no, that would have ruined the fun.

It always amused me how incredibly inquisitive the man could be. He was incredibly intelligent. Even though he could only read the bare minimum, he knew much about the ways of the world and was what you would call wise.

I think he watched me for a very long time, and he inevitably caught a few of the moments when I was lost in memory and lonely sadness. I never told him her name, but some of the things he said or the motions he made leads me to believe that he knew I had some secret lost love.

We did not speak much, each of us very private men. Content to keep each other company and, if necessary, speak of important matters, no idle conversation for us.

It was years before I realised that, while Benkei would be loyal to the point of death, I was equally staunch in my regards for him.

Perhaps it was because my brothers negation was so strong and his ire so obvious, that the court took it into their heads that it would be a good idea to grant me a few titles regardless. I was not happy at this. I did not want such baggage, they were more trouble than they were worth. Though I had little say in their granting, I tried to reach out to my brother to tell him of the absence of such ambitions within my heart. I fear my protestations fell on deaf ears, or on ears too full with the sound of others claiming my rampant ambition for power.

Well his revenge was my stiflement. While my younger brother went off to play soldier, I remained in the capital.

I was not the adament warrior many make me into, and normally I would not have minded missing the bloodiness of war, this meant I had to remain in the castle. The viper's nest was not only dangerous, but I had also suddenly become bachelor of the year.

The only good thing about this was that Noriyori took Kagetoki with him, and kept him out of my hair.

It was a long year.

I managed to get everything in order and the government settled as much as could be expected during the long wait.

Finally, the news came. I had been ordered to make an attack on the Shikoku headquarters.

This would be a new kind of battle, a naval one and I wondered just how much the mystery of the sea would affect our plans. I called for ships."

_And ships there came. I still remember the sight of them, that gallant fleet. We had been working to take Kyoshu with our own ragtag group of boats and we eventually joined up with Yoshitsune's forces. His were what could truly be called a naval force. Ours was more of a source of transportation. As they appeared on the sea, the colors of their sails shone brightly against the blue of the ocean. There were all manner of colors and symbols as befitting the power behind the ships. And they moved quickly, letting the wind catch the cloth of their sails as they skimmed over the water. It was almost as if they held the wings of the cranes within their grasp. _

_The skies were clear after the storm of the night before and there was a brisk wind making its way along the crests of the waves.?_

"_Did the crane woman sew their sails?" a bright voice called from the doorway._

_I looked over without surprise to see an older version of the young girl that I once regailed with stories. Gone was the high pony and brigt dress, now a slightly slimmer girl in a clean blue smock stood, but she held the same brilliant smile._

"_Ahh Sora-chan" I smile at her, "so you remember my stories?"_

_She pouts at me._

"_Grandpapa..." she whines. Oh yes, she is "too old" to be called her childhood name now. Bah! When she gets to be my age she can call herself old. _

"_Grandfather, are you teasing Akina again?" the boy who used to silently watch from the shadows, now a dashing young man with the tea merchant's niece on his arm appears._

"_Gah you are all still too young to get your grown up names, Kage."_

"_Ah ah ah, grandfather, it's Chitose now. Or are you getting senile?" he teases. The young lady on his arm giggles and he smiles as he looks down at her. So soon another generation, already off to go confront the world. It seems just yesterday that Sora, now Akina, was sticking her toes under my blanket to keep warm. But how time flies._

"I got the ships. They were indeed impressive. Now all I needed to do was find the men who were capable of manning them. No small feet. It turns out that, while I had sufficient men for a land army, few of them actually knew how to sail and the majority of them held a suspicious fear of the deep water.

It took the dregs of society and an exorbitant sum to get the ships ready for sailing. Then the storm came.

It was dark and windy, not a good night for sailing. The veteran sailors, the ones I had that is, told me en masse that we would crash against the nearby reefs and that we would all drown. A good thing to tell the men who were already superstitiously afraid of the clinging hands of the water kami, who loved men to such an extent that they would pull them down into the ocean depths, only to mourn their death.

At the sailors refusal to start out, my patience finally snapped.

I leaped up onto the prow of the ship I was commanding.

"If you do not start out to sea this very minute" I swore darkly, casting my voice out so that the nearby ships could hear, "I will let the water kami take me and set a curse on all who reside on these waters as well as any of their blood."

It worked and we were soon away from the coastline. The sea was as rough as promised. We tossed and turned as the waves crested beneath us, many of the men left the contents of their stomachs in the depths of that green-blue water.

As the rain lashed us, I watched the receding shores until they were out of sight. Death, at this point had little fear for me and I could barely feel the sting of the wind. I suppose to many this made me appear brave. I simply no longer felt connected to this world. It was the feeling at the brink, that ethereal place between here and the otherworld of the kami and death. Borderlands in shades of grey. I well understood the absence of color.

Benkei stood at my shoulder, his taller frame was affected more by the shifting of the ship under his feet. He hunched his shoulders against the rain, but he remained. If his footing was not sure, his resolve made up for it.

We landed on the shores of Shikoku the next morning.

I gave the men the day to regain their strength, hidden in the surrounding forests. Many of them could barely stand after emptying their guts into the sea, and we all had to regain our land legs.

Besides, I had a plan.

I knew that the fort of Yashima was not manned fully. The Taira forces had split off on an expedition elsewhere and left their headquarters at a third of its normal strength. But I felt that a little fear in the minds of one's enemy, no matter how improportionate to oneself, was never amiss.

I had the men make fires, many fires. Easily visible in the approaching night as an apparent blanket of flame. We appeared to be millions. True we were a larger force, but now we looked unstoppable.

It worked even better than I had expected.

The Taira commander did not even make the smallest effort at mustering the fort's defenses, which could have held us off for quite a while. Instead he immediately ordered an evacuation.

They fled for the ships.

We came across the channel in a roaring stampede. Men invigorated at the chase, crying for blood. We swept down on them and slaughtered them as they ran, the burning fort silhouetting our figures against the flames.

We caught the majority of them, but a large number made it to the waiting ships and cast off to waters out of our reach.


	23. Chapter 23

They fled to Shido harbor and regrouped in the nearby Nagato and we pursued them by crossing over into Suo province.

Apparently our victory had impressed many, or at least that was what they cried when several families joined us, bringing even more ships. I was somewhat skeptical of this as I was readier to believe that they were siding with the ones they saw as the victor.

At this point the confrontation with Kagetoki finally erupted. It was on the boats of all things. I had just ordered that the boats be manned with alternating cavalry, footsoldiers and archers. A section to each boat under the command of my lieutenants, when Kagetoki spoke up.

"Yoshitusne-san" he spoke condescendingly, "should not the footsoldiers be placed in the forward boats?"

This was the type of tactical suggestion that was made in private. To speak up now was to question my command, and he knew it.

I kept my composure.

"And why do you say that, Kagetoki... san?" I deliberately paused before the respectful suffix.

His face turned red and he answered stiffly.

"The footsoldiers are the most expendable."

"I do not find men expendable. In this way we present a strong first attack to give the remainder behind a chance to disembark."

This was a more strategic maneuver, and I could tell he had not thought much of his question beyond the power play.

"As you say" he muttered.

This man bore watching. At that point I had not realized that any watching would have come too late. His hatred of me had already corrupted my brother, Yoritomo.

After preparing these new ships, we looked to the horizons. This would be the final battle, we all could tell. The battle at Yashima had set the Taira up, now all that was left was to finish the last remaining few.

We set sail for Dan no Ura.

Our forces outnumbered the Taira ten to one, but like a cornered animal, they were sure to fight fiercely. They had nowhere else to run, after all.

This ferocity served them well. The Taira divided into three parts, and their superb archers showered down on us, killing many of the men crammed onto the flotillas. It seemed as though their desperation would save them, or that the kamis were on their side as the shift of battle favored them.

Then they broke.

A rat like man hoisted the white banner and we called his approach.

It was Taguchi Shigeyoshi. The man that would go down in history as the scum of the earth.

He betrayed his fellow Taira and changed sides in the midst of battle, pointing out the location of the command ship.

The tide of battle shifted, shook, and broke. Like a wave we descended on them in a howling fury. The sea turned red with the mingled blood of the soldiers and the aristocrats. Stepping into the ocean they escaped their turn of the wheel. Perhaps the next life would favor them.

Muremori, that hapless figure, failed to die at the hands of the water kami. They did not want him apparently, and we fished him out to send back to Yoritomo.

It should have been a triumphant return to Kamakura, a welcoming from my brother with open arms. It was not.

It was then that I discovered the slanderous letters that Kagetoki had been sending off to my brother every chance that he got.

My brother forbid my entry into Kamakura, not even to receive the prisoner, Murmori. He sent me a letter ordering me to 'get rid of him as I would." Blunt and to the point, it was not what I was expecting.

When I questioned one of the advisors who still deigned to have contact with me, he told me how the situation stood. I was not in favor. In fact, I was under direct suspicion of treasonous behaviour and a rebellious attitude. In effect, I was a threat.

It was the end for me, I knew.

Not that I cared, we had already been estranged for quite some time now.

I sent off the expected letter protesting the slanderous reputation I had been given, denying the slurs and declaring my filial loyalty. As expected, it had no effect.

The only response I received was a freezing silence.

Benkei and I soon left for the capital. A horrible move on my part, I soon realized, as the retired emperor had his own reasons for welcoming me.

He was adept at the political maneuvering and used men like tools. In an effort to hold and increase his power, he tried to use me against my brother.

He gave me a governship of all things. I refused and yet it was still granted, making me realise that, I had not been granted a governship, I had been granted a death sentence as it effectively contradicted my protests that I did not hold ambition. At least in the eyes of my brother.

When the news came that he had ordered my capture, so that I could be brought before him, it was merely the culmination of a long line of regrets.

They came for me in the night, creeping silently into my room despite their legal right to capture me under my brother's authority as shogun. It was the fear they sought.

They pulled me roughly from my bed, forcing me to kneel with my head tilted back and my hands bound behind my back.

Benkei erupted from the next room, staff ready, but a sharp command from me held him frozen.

"Yes, stay like a good dog won't you" an insidiously familiar voice spoke as a figure stepped out from the shadows of the doorframe.

"We have no orders regarding you, giant. I would hate to have to kill you for trying to prevent the capture of a traitior" Kagetoki sneered as he stepped into the room.

So he sought my humiliation as well as fear. This was the culmination of all his hatred of me, after all.

"So we meet again, Yoshitsune" he crooned, obviously delighting in leaving off the suffix of respect. Hoping to rile me, obviously.

"Have you nothing to say?" he demanded.

He wanted me to beg. I kept silent, looking him in the eye with a serene complacency.

Infuriated, he struck me across the cheek, throwing me off balance and, with my hands tied behind me, eye fell to the floor. The man behind me pulled me back up.

He had drawn blood and I felt it trickle down my face, watching as a drop fell to the clean white of my pant leg, staining.

"Not so proud now" he crowed.

Benkei watched with a stricken expression on his face as I was pulled from the room. I caught his eyes and held them for a moment.

He nodded, he understood. Of course, to my exasperation, he followed us to Kamakura anyways.

My brother looked the same, unchanged except for a few more wrinkles around his mouth and a much colder expression in his eyes.

"Yoshitsune" he stated, brother no more, it would seem.

I bowed to the best of my ability constrained by my bonds.

"Yoritomo-san" I answered.

He nodded, as if the title was his due. Technically it was, but as his blood kin I should not have been expected to use it.

"We have heard of your doings." He paused as if waiting for some denial. It would have been of no use, so I kept silent.

"And we are sad that you, our once brother, has fallen so low. But we remember the affection once held between us. For this, and this only, we grant you three days to depart from here. After which, you will be executed on sight." He turned away and with a wave of his hand dismissed the matter.

A small noise escaped Kagetoki's lips, and I felt a small smile escape, hidden by my bowed head.

"Do you have something you wish to say, Kagetoki?" my brother demanded shortly.

"No lord" Kagetoki said shortly, bowing.

"Good. Release him."

My restraints were cut and I remained kneeling for a moment. I stood bowed, and walked calmly from the room, barely feeling the glare of Kagetoki.

I took a horse, it little mattered if I was accused of theft as I already had a death sentence on my head.

I met Benkei on the outskirts of the city. I was not sure what he would have done if I had not appeared, but regardless, we headed for the mountains.

I believe my brother thought that I would head for Mount Kurami, but I knew that I would not find sanctuary there for long, and I did not seek it.

While I would not do them the honor of suicide, I sought my death.

On the third day, we had not yet reached the relative safety of the mountains, when I heard the pounding of horses behind me. It would seem they had ridden hard all the way from Kamakura, making better time than our slower pace.

They gave no warning, dishonorable ones that they were. Even if I had been pronounced dead by law, an honorable warrior would have declared himself.

The first arrow missed, but it revealed their presence.

Before I could respond, however, Benkei whipped my horse with his staff, sending it running.

"Go Yoshitsune!" he yelled as he turned to face the oncoming warriors.

I saw the first arrow hit him, it went into his left shoulder, then the next sprouted from his thigh, then his other shoulder. And they kept coming until I could see him no more. The last I saw, he was slowly falling from his horse, riddled with arrows. My brave friend, my most loyal follower, had died to give me time to escape.

And so I arrived here. This secluded spot has hidden me from all pursuers until a chance soldier, you, fell into my lap."

_That was the last he spoke, and I never heard his voice directed at me after. _

_I went to sleep peacefully that night, the fire burning at my side and comforted by the knowledge that he was there as a guard. His protection was sure to be there until morning, so I could sleep safely. It was not so._

_I woke in the middle of the night, unsure what had called me from sleep._

_The fire was burned low and almost out, And the place where he usually spent the night, was empty. _

_A chill crept into my heart._

_I moved over to the entrance, trying to be as silent as I could, and as I got closer, his voice sounded in the night._

"_So you have come."_

_There was no response, so I peered out to see who he was talking to._

_There was a man standing behind the kneeling figure that I identified as Yoshitsune. He held a raised sword._

_They were white against the blue darkness of the night sky._

"_I have come" he answered in a strong voice, as if he was daring the kneeling figure to dispute his words._

"_Someone once told me of a wish. It was a death wish, but not yet this person's time. A kind of foreseeing. This person told me of a wish to die beneath the cherry blossoms under a full moon." He paused for a moment and seemed to smile. "It is a good wish."_

_The other man did not answer, appearing to wait for the kneeling one to continue._

_The wind whistled through the blossoms of the trees, sighing forlonrnly._

"_Do it" he said._

_A sudden glimpse of silver, a blurring downwards movement, the falling blossoms disturbed in their descent._

_It seemed I caught a faint smile on his lips as the sword struck. He was going to meet her in the stars now._

_It seems that the herd boy_

_has begun rowing the boat_

_across the sky to meet his love:_

_the mist is rising on the riverbank of heaven._


End file.
